According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. | 89% |
| Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. | 83% |
| Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences. | 82% |
| Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards. | 77% |
| Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature. | 77% |
| Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations. | 77% |
| Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development. | 74% |
| Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing. | 74% |
| Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites. | 71% |
| Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience. | 71% |
| Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications. | 71% |
| Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback. | 68% |
| Demonstrate products to clients. | 61% |
