Career
Food science technicians
Test food and ingredients in the lab.
$52,130
Median pay
+4.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,000
Openings a year
Associate's degree
Typical education
2 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
- Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
- Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
- Monitor and control temperature of products.
- Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Speaking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
2 years of education after high school (associate's degree), for a median of $52,130 a year and 3,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- BiologySee the degree →
- ChemistrySee the degree →
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologySee the degree →
- Agricultural and Food Products ProcessingCIP 01.0401
- Food ScienceCIP 01.1001
- Food Technology and ProcessingCIP 01.1002
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Food Scientists and Technologists$88,720 · +6.2%
- Chemical Technicians$60,390 · +4.9%
- Quality Control Analysts
- Agricultural Technicians$49,630 · +5.4%
- Agricultural Inspectors$49,940 · +2.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.