Food Scientists and Technologists
Life, Physical, and Social Science · SOC 19-1012
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 19-1012 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 49/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $88,720
- H-1B offered wage $87,706; LCAs are filings.
- Projected openings
- 1,800
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +6.5%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- 434
- FY2025 certified LCAs; 2,349 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~34.6% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Use chemistry, microbiology, engineering, and other sciences to study the principles underlying the processing and deterioration of foods; analyze food content to determine levels of vitamins, fat, sugar, and protein; discover new food sources; research ways to make processed foods safe, palatable, and healthful; and apply food science knowledge to determine best ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distribute food.
Common titles: Corporate Food Scientist, Food and Drug Research Scientist, Food Engineer, Food Safety Regulatory Manager, Food Scientist, Food Technologist
Representative Tasks
- •Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- •Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- •Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- •Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- •Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Inspect areas for compliance with sanitation standards.
- •Research methods to improve food products.
- •Evaluate quality of materials or products.
- •Establish standards for products, processes, or procedures.
- •Collaborate with technical specialists to resolve design or development problems.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 9.7% |
| Outlook | Average | 37% Bright |
| Median Salary | $88,720 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |