Food scientists on the decline worldwide

by Shayna Glick, Posted Aug 4th 2008 @ 11:00AM

A plaque on the side of a building that reads

Do you want to save the world? Dr. John D. Floros, President of the Institute of Food Technologists, believes that if that's the case, you should look into becoming a food scientist. In his opinion, in the coming years food scientists are going to play a huge role in figuring out how to feed the ever-growing world population.

However, the number of food scientists is declining worldwide. According to an article in Confectionary News, numbers are down in Australia, South Africa, the UK, and elsewhere. In the U.S., it is a common misconception that food scientists are the same as chefs.

The Institute of Food Technologists has a plan to turn things around though. They have devised a "three-pronged attack" in which they get information to high school students, urge food science students to more actively recruit their peers, and to build an association or community of young food science professionals.

Their efforts must be working, because food science was recently placed at number three on a recent CNN list of nine well paying cool jobs. At a staring salary of around $53,000, I think that food science may just get some people's attention. Would you consider becoming a food scientist?

Filed Under: Science
Tags: CNN, confectionary news, ConfectionaryNews, food science, FoodScience

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-04-2008 @3:29PM Michael Schmitt said... The thing with food scientists is the fact that no one really knows what a food scientist does, what a food scientist can do for the average consumer, or how food scientists help shape what ends up on your plate, even when you grow it yourself.

Food scientists aren't crazy people to add chemicals to foods because they can; they are scientists who answer challenges to getting food from the farm to your table (preservation of that food (freezing, canning, ready-to-eat), packaging of the food, flavoring of the food, etc.). Someone asked the question of "how do I make a shortcake with whipped cream last and package it for consumption at a later time?" A food scientist answered with a Twinkie. When was the last time you made a food that was supposed to be eaten 7-28 days later and still look good and taste good too? That's what a food scientist does...

I'm glad to see that people are promoting food science as a career, as I am a food scientist myself and find that, even in large food processing facilities, there aren't that many food scientists around to help work on the challenges our food industry face. Currently, I'm the guy that is taking OUT all the additives that the previous food scientists put in to a food that keeps it fresh, stands up over time, and looks great and trying to keep the same properties as the food WITH the additives. Its quite a challenge, but there is demand for it, so I'm answering that challenge at my company.

And please note, $53,000 is the AVERAGE salary of a food scientist. I had to clutch my chest in agony when I saw that number and realized that I didn't get paid that when I started...
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8-04-2008 @5:28PM Liz Petty said... I would consider becoming a food scientist -- in fact, as a child, I wanted badly to be someone who tests foods, plants and other organisms in our world, to see if they're edible and how they can benefit humans nutritionally. I didn't know that such a career -- as a food scientist -- existed.

Now that I'm a full-grown foodie, I realize that choosing such a path may limit my appreciation for food itself -- instead of focusing on taste, appearance and just a plain passion for food in general, I'd be focusing on the smaller picture: nutrients, molecules and the like. By getting down to the nitty-gritty with the things we eat, I think being a food scientist would put a hamper on my passion for food and cooking. I would certainly look at food (and potential foods) in a much different way than I do now.

Props, though, to the people who choose such a noble profession. Without them, we wouldn't be finding new ways to feed the world's hungry or solve our ever-deepening environmental issues. We need more of these people in the workforce.
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8-04-2008 @7:19PM Michael Schmitt said... @Liz
Actually, the fact that you are introspective enough to know what you would want to focus on as a scientist would mean that you would actively seek out companies that would allow you to express your passion for food and the taste and the appearance of that food that is being created. Food Scientists don't just look at the small picture, we react to the big picture and try our best to meet what the market demands.
Chefs are food scientists that concentrate their passion for food for reat-to-eat foods; food scientists take that passion and extend it to foods that will last long enough for someone 1000 miles away to enjoy it at a later date.
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8-05-2008 @8:57AM Liz Petty said... Michael,

Thanks for the insight! Though my career choice may differ from that of food science (I work at a video production company), perhaps in another life I'll be deemed worthy to tackle the challenge.
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8-05-2008 @8:30PM Haley said... I'd love to be a food scientist, but somehow I ended up in civil engineering..

Being a food scientist sounds like a great job for me, I origanally wanted to be a chef or a engineer, but the engineering oppertunity came first.. maybe after I finish this cadetship its off to learn about food for me!!
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