Food Technologist
What the work is
Analyses, develops and improves methods for the production, processing and preservation of existing and new food products, and sets standards for producing, packaging and marketing food.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Studies the properties of food to support the development of new products or to improve existing food products
- Develops, manages and maintains quality systems for food processing
- Designs and improves food processing and packaging methods to increase efficiency and reduce costs
- Ensures food safety and quality by testing and analysing samples of raw materials, ingredients and finished products
- Tests food products to ensure compliance with health regulatory frameworks and quality standards
- Develops new methods for food preservation, such as freezing, canning and drying
- Conducts research to create new food products and improve the quality, safety and nutritional value of food
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a food company's test kitchen and quality lab, and a winery during vintage. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A recipe that failed ten times finally tastes exactly like it should
- You taste a barrel sample and know it is going to be something special
- A shelf stable product you developed lands in shops and people just buy it
Hard days
- Rain is forecast for harvest week and every decision has to be made in a day
- A launch date is promised and the product still has a problem you can taste
- Long hours at the lab tracing a tiny change in a recipe that nobody can see
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 244232, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.