3 answers
Sean
Student
Fayetteville, Arkansas
1
Question
Updated
331 views
What kind of careers could I pursue in the food safety field and what all do they entail?
I plan on majoring in food science, food safety and product developement are what really interest me. I know a fair amount about product developement but not a whole lot about food safety. Thank you all in advance!
Login to comment
3 answers
Ed O'Neill
R&D, quality, food safety
2
Answers
Lincoln, Nebraska
Updated
Ed’s Answer
I'll start off on a slightly different tack than the other responders.
As with most things, the product development field is more broad and complex than it appears from the outside. I spent the first 22 years of my career in product development and have several multi-billion dollar product launches that I led. That said, I've also worked product development for contract manufacturers that were fairly turn key flavor variations that may have only ended up with a few thousand cases produced. There is also a lot of B2B product development in todays environment where co-packers work on formulations for clients; the goal is generating an acceptable product (not optimized) to facilitate getting the business. Product development can run from a very seat of the pants whip out some options to culinary based to truly scientifically optimizing the product and process.
That said, let move on to food safety (and quality). After 22 years in the R&D world I moved into food safety and quality where I worked till retirement (23 years) and am still doing consulting in the field since retirement (10years).
As the others have indicated, there are a wide variety of options available. What is best for you depends on your individual preferences, work style, scientific depth, education, and personality. Jobs can range from highly individual with minimal interpersonal interaction to highly interactive and team oriented. The type of work you do may also be impacted by the nature of your education and proclivities; engineering, chemistry, microbiology, and managerial preferences (some want to work up the management ladder while others prefer to remain more scientifically/technically focused).
Engineering focus can lead to best fit solutions in manufacturing, equipment design and development, maintenance, production management and similar. While some of these may not sound food safety oriented, in fact everything that happens in a food plant, warehouse, retail environment, or food service establishment has a strong food safety element.
A chemistry focus can lead to lab positions (either in centralized analytical labs or plant based labs) working with food, packaging, ingredients, and environment. This can include outside the lab work to solve problems found in the lab, i.e. if you find mycotoxins in a grain product this may lead to working with others to identify sources and causes, mitigation processes, sourcing protocols, etc.
The area most commonly heard about recently is in the food microbiology arena. Look at recalls and you'll find that about 1/3 are for pathogens. Food microbiologists may work in central labs, analyzing samples sent in by the lab's customers. They may also be involved in validation studies to determine if interventions are effective in inactivating pathogens and preventing food born outbreaks. They may work in plant labs, analyzing finished products, raw materials, and environmental samples. If pathogens are found in the manufacturing environment, they would be involved in tracking the source to find the root cause, whether environmental control issues, cleaning and sanitation practices, or resistant pathogen colonies.
If more basic science oriented the work may be more in an academic environment. Researching microbial genetics, understanding resistance factors, exploring emerging issues, and on ad infinitum...
Work can range from in facility where one is tasked with monitoring and analyzing data to assure finished products (whether ingredients or package ready goods) with extensive interactions and physically different locations to assure products are safe and meet specification requirements to purely lab oriented jobs analyzing and reporting on results but with little exposure to production environments or group problem solving activities.
From my perspective (food science degrees with chemistry focus and strong microbiology minor) product development can be rewarding. I particularly liked the environments where the team could be innovative and daring vs. the more mundane (to me) experience of popping out variations for clients. Product development may also include activities in product improvement, margin enhancement (reducing costs), and line extensions (what is the next variation on Cheerios?). I've working in all these rolls and found everything but the first one mentioned to not hold my attention.
I moved into food safety as the only food scientist/chemist on staff when the company (I had been there about 3 weeks) had a major chemical contamination issue and needed someone to step in to identify to specific issue, identify the root cause, and implement both immediate and long term corrective actions. I was hooked. While not all assignments have been that exciting and fast paced, all of them have the common theme that it was directly helping our customers by avoiding issues that could result in illness or death. I like the variety the job entails, the opportunity to work and solve issues in real time, the fact that the work impacts humans and animals (yes, I've also worked in the pet food space), and the constantly evolving environment.
Find your nearest food science department (your in Arkansas so try the university, I suggest Dr. Jayem Subbiah the department chair). Talk with their faculty and ask them to hook you up with local manufacturers, warehouses, food service, etc.). I know and have worked with Jayem so feel free to use my name.
As with most things, the product development field is more broad and complex than it appears from the outside. I spent the first 22 years of my career in product development and have several multi-billion dollar product launches that I led. That said, I've also worked product development for contract manufacturers that were fairly turn key flavor variations that may have only ended up with a few thousand cases produced. There is also a lot of B2B product development in todays environment where co-packers work on formulations for clients; the goal is generating an acceptable product (not optimized) to facilitate getting the business. Product development can run from a very seat of the pants whip out some options to culinary based to truly scientifically optimizing the product and process.
That said, let move on to food safety (and quality). After 22 years in the R&D world I moved into food safety and quality where I worked till retirement (23 years) and am still doing consulting in the field since retirement (10years).
As the others have indicated, there are a wide variety of options available. What is best for you depends on your individual preferences, work style, scientific depth, education, and personality. Jobs can range from highly individual with minimal interpersonal interaction to highly interactive and team oriented. The type of work you do may also be impacted by the nature of your education and proclivities; engineering, chemistry, microbiology, and managerial preferences (some want to work up the management ladder while others prefer to remain more scientifically/technically focused).
Engineering focus can lead to best fit solutions in manufacturing, equipment design and development, maintenance, production management and similar. While some of these may not sound food safety oriented, in fact everything that happens in a food plant, warehouse, retail environment, or food service establishment has a strong food safety element.
A chemistry focus can lead to lab positions (either in centralized analytical labs or plant based labs) working with food, packaging, ingredients, and environment. This can include outside the lab work to solve problems found in the lab, i.e. if you find mycotoxins in a grain product this may lead to working with others to identify sources and causes, mitigation processes, sourcing protocols, etc.
The area most commonly heard about recently is in the food microbiology arena. Look at recalls and you'll find that about 1/3 are for pathogens. Food microbiologists may work in central labs, analyzing samples sent in by the lab's customers. They may also be involved in validation studies to determine if interventions are effective in inactivating pathogens and preventing food born outbreaks. They may work in plant labs, analyzing finished products, raw materials, and environmental samples. If pathogens are found in the manufacturing environment, they would be involved in tracking the source to find the root cause, whether environmental control issues, cleaning and sanitation practices, or resistant pathogen colonies.
If more basic science oriented the work may be more in an academic environment. Researching microbial genetics, understanding resistance factors, exploring emerging issues, and on ad infinitum...
Work can range from in facility where one is tasked with monitoring and analyzing data to assure finished products (whether ingredients or package ready goods) with extensive interactions and physically different locations to assure products are safe and meet specification requirements to purely lab oriented jobs analyzing and reporting on results but with little exposure to production environments or group problem solving activities.
From my perspective (food science degrees with chemistry focus and strong microbiology minor) product development can be rewarding. I particularly liked the environments where the team could be innovative and daring vs. the more mundane (to me) experience of popping out variations for clients. Product development may also include activities in product improvement, margin enhancement (reducing costs), and line extensions (what is the next variation on Cheerios?). I've working in all these rolls and found everything but the first one mentioned to not hold my attention.
I moved into food safety as the only food scientist/chemist on staff when the company (I had been there about 3 weeks) had a major chemical contamination issue and needed someone to step in to identify to specific issue, identify the root cause, and implement both immediate and long term corrective actions. I was hooked. While not all assignments have been that exciting and fast paced, all of them have the common theme that it was directly helping our customers by avoiding issues that could result in illness or death. I like the variety the job entails, the opportunity to work and solve issues in real time, the fact that the work impacts humans and animals (yes, I've also worked in the pet food space), and the constantly evolving environment.
Ed recommends the following next steps:
Katrina Emmel
Chemist/Consultant
1
Answer
Corona, California
Updated
Katrina’s Answer
There are many careers in food safety, depending on what areas of the field interest you. If you like hands-on science, you could work in a laboratory to test foods and food ingredients for purity or for contamination (for example, microbes, heavy metals, residual solvents, etc.). There are also food scientists who specialize in packaging safety and long-term shelf stability studies. Toxicologists study how safe food ingredients are for human and animal consumption. If you prefer more desk-based work, you could specialize in reviewing food toxicology and safety data. There are people who specialize in data analysis and use statistics to evaluate toxicological data and food ingredient consumption and exposure estimates.
In the US, new food ingredients must be evaluated for safety prior to introduction into foods and must undergo a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) assessment or a Food Additive Petition (FAP). There are similar regulatory review processes in other countries, as well. Consultants assist food manufacturers to undertake these projects. There are also food scientists who work for FDA and other regulatory agencies (USDA, etc.) who review the GRAS and FAP documents, inspect food and ingredient manufacturer facilities, and conduct testing on food samples to ensure a safe food supply.
Some colleges have specific programs for food safety, but a lot of it can also be learned in on-the-job training. For example, if you have a degree in microbiology, a food manufacturer will train you on how to perform internal testing. Some jobs, for example GRAS consulting, are learned through mentorship, so the best way to learn about them would be to reach out to a consultant to ask specific questions.
In the US, new food ingredients must be evaluated for safety prior to introduction into foods and must undergo a Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) assessment or a Food Additive Petition (FAP). There are similar regulatory review processes in other countries, as well. Consultants assist food manufacturers to undertake these projects. There are also food scientists who work for FDA and other regulatory agencies (USDA, etc.) who review the GRAS and FAP documents, inspect food and ingredient manufacturer facilities, and conduct testing on food samples to ensure a safe food supply.
Some colleges have specific programs for food safety, but a lot of it can also be learned in on-the-job training. For example, if you have a degree in microbiology, a food manufacturer will train you on how to perform internal testing. Some jobs, for example GRAS consulting, are learned through mentorship, so the best way to learn about them would be to reach out to a consultant to ask specific questions.
Ompilela Justice Tshiakhatho
Technical Manager _Food and Beverage
2
Answers
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Updated
Ompilela Justice’s Answer
If you’re interested in food safety, there are so many exciting directions you can take your career, and your background in food science will give you a great foundation. You could look into roles like food safety coordinator or officer, where you’d be responsible for making sure products and processes meet safety standards and conducting inspections. If you enjoy product development, there are opportunities to work on creating and refining new food products while ensuring they’re safe and high quality. Packaging is another important area, where specialists focus on choosing and testing materials to keep food safe throughout its journey to the consumer. Regulatory affairs is a great path if you like working with laws and compliance, as you’d help companies navigate food regulations and prepare the necessary documentation. If you’re drawn to research and lab work, positions like food microbiologist or lab analyst let you study microorganisms, develop testing methods, and analyze samples to improve food safety. There are also roles in consulting, training, and quality control, where you can help companies implement safety systems and monitor hygiene. These careers exist all over the world and they all require a mix of scientific knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving.