From cricket flour and plant-based cheese to meat grown in Petri dishes, wildcards are disrupting the food industry. Learn how you can get in on the action. It is an exciting time to submit a food technologist resume.
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Your Roadmap to an R&D Career with Food Industry Disruptors
If you love trying and developing new foods, a research and development career in the food
industry may be for you. It is an exciting time to submit a food technologist resume. Why?
Increasing numbers of people with special dietary requirements and concern over climate
change have pushed food innovation to a fever pitch right now.
Below, we’ll get a finger on the pulse of the industry by looking at a few of the most food
industry radical disruptors. Then, we’ll outline a roadmap for your food R&D career, whether
you’re a student or a mid-career veteran.
Who’s Disrupting the Food Industry?
To understand where your food industry R&D career is headed, let’s look at some of the
movers and shakers currently disrupting the food industry.
Animal-Free Products
First, there are plenty of companies making animal-free meats and cheeses – Impossible
Foods, Beyond, Follow Your Heart, Violife, Daiya, and more. Often, these items use plant-
based ingredients such as soy or cashews to make products that taste as close to the real
thing as possible. They market to those with dietary restrictions and those concerned about
animal welfare and environmental impact.
A few companies take things a step further. San Francisco startup New Culture released
“dairy-identical” vegan mozzarella cheese in 2023 under the tagline “real cow cheese without
the cow.” Their goal with an animal-free cheese with the stretch that pizza lovers love – and
they succeeded. However, because the proteins are identical to those in natural milk, New
Culture products are not advised for consumers with dairy intolerances.
Other companies are pioneering lab-grown meats. This requires only a small tissue sample
from the target animal, then the cells are cultivated in a laboratory setting, eliminating
controversial farming and slaughter practices. Vow, for instance, is selling lab-grown quail
meat in Japanese restaurants. They also gained popularity in 2023 by creating a meatball
from the cells of an extinct woolly mammoth.
Averting Waste and Environmental Impact
According to Feeding America, nearly 40 percent of all food sold in America ends up as
waste. Some companies are working hard to divert some of that waste to lessen its economic
and environmental impact.
For example, a number of companies are using fruit and vegetable waste from restaurants to
feed crickets, which are then processed into protein-rich flour, energy bars, chips, and other
products. This also has the potential to lessen the environmental impact of raising other
animal-based proteins, such as cattle - if people can be convinced to consume crickets, that
is.
Others are re-purposing cast-off ingredients directly. ReGrained produces energy bars made
from post-brewing barley grains – a “waste” product from breweries.
Your R&D Roadmap
Here’s the dish – you can have an exciting career innovating ways to make food more
sustainable, safer, and inclusive in a changing world. First, get educated.
Education Requirements
Most food industry R&D positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Food science
and food technology degrees are the most relevant, but medicine, nutrition, chemistry,
culinary arts, and biology are also helpful.
If you’re pivoting mid-career, a bachelor’s degree in a related field (or even a divergent one)
can be enhanced by a post-graduate degree in food science or technology.
Entry-Level Jobs
Typically, you will enter the industry as a food scientist, food technician, research assistant,
or product development assistant before moving on to a primary position in research and
development.
If you already have experience in one of these fields, you may be able to pivot into R&D by
obtaining additional education or requesting on-the-job training. Focus on gaining skills in
research, data analysis, communication, problem-solving, and attention to detail.
Additional Tips
As with many careers, networking is a powerful tool. You may open opportunities by
attending industry events, connecting with professionals on LinkedIn, or requesting
informational interviews from individuals already working in R&D.
Additionally, you should be willing to relocate in order to accept a position. Many food
industry R&D departments are located in large metropolitan areas. In the United States, for
example, California and New York are hotspots.
Key Takeaways
From recycling food waste to growing components in Petri dishes, food innovation is an
exciting field to be in right now.
Get started on your food R&D career by obtaining at least a bachelor’s degree in food
science or a related field. Then, be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up to
the position you want. Don’t forget to hone your ability to use research and communication
tools and your data analysis skills, network, and be flexible as to your home base.
It’s a long road to becoming a food industry R&D specialist, but it is a rewarding one in which
you can help avert environmental crisis and better the daily lives of people with dietary
restrictions.
If you love trying and developing new foods, a research and development career in the food
industry may be for you. It is an exciting time to submit a food technologist resume. Why?
Increasing numbers of people with special dietary requirements and concern over climate
change have pushed food innovation to a fever pitch right now.
Below, we’ll get a finger on the pulse of the industry by looking at a few of the most food
industry radical disruptors. Then, we’ll outline a roadmap for your food R&D career, whether
you’re a student or a mid-career veteran.
Who’s Disrupting the Food Industry?
To understand where your food industry R&D career is headed, let’s look at some of the
movers and shakers currently disrupting the food industry.
Animal-Free Products
First, there are plenty of companies making animal-free meats and cheeses – Impossible
Foods, Beyond, Follow Your Heart, Violife, Daiya, and more. Often, these items use plant-
based ingredients such as soy or cashews to make products that taste as close to the real
thing as possible. They market to those with dietary restrictions and those concerned about
animal welfare and environmental impact.
A few companies take things a step further. San Francisco startup New Culture released
“dairy-identical” vegan mozzarella cheese in 2023 under the tagline “real cow cheese without
the cow.” Their goal with an animal-free cheese with the stretch that pizza lovers love – and
they succeeded. However, because the proteins are identical to those in natural milk, New
Culture products are not advised for consumers with dairy intolerances.
Other companies are pioneering lab-grown meats. This requires only a small tissue sample
from the target animal, then the cells are cultivated in a laboratory setting, eliminating
controversial farming and slaughter practices. Vow, for instance, is selling lab-grown quail
meat in Japanese restaurants. They also gained popularity in 2023 by creating a meatball
from the cells of an extinct woolly mammoth.
Averting Waste and Environmental Impact
According to Feeding America, nearly 40 percent of all food sold in America ends up as
waste. Some companies are working hard to divert some of that waste to lessen its economic
and environmental impact.
For example, a number of companies are using fruit and vegetable waste from restaurants to
feed crickets, which are then processed into protein-rich flour, energy bars, chips, and other
products. This also has the potential to lessen the environmental impact of raising other
animal-based proteins, such as cattle - if people can be convinced to consume crickets, that
is.
Others are re-purposing cast-off ingredients directly. ReGrained produces energy bars made
from post-brewing barley grains – a “waste” product from breweries.
Your R&D Roadmap
Here’s the dish – you can have an exciting career innovating ways to make food more
sustainable, safer, and inclusive in a changing world. First, get educated.
Education Requirements
Most food industry R&D positions require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Food science
and food technology degrees are the most relevant, but medicine, nutrition, chemistry,
culinary arts, and biology are also helpful.
If you’re pivoting mid-career, a bachelor’s degree in a related field (or even a divergent one)
can be enhanced by a post-graduate degree in food science or technology.
Entry-Level Jobs
Typically, you will enter the industry as a food scientist, food technician, research assistant,
or product development assistant before moving on to a primary position in research and
development.
If you already have experience in one of these fields, you may be able to pivot into R&D by
obtaining additional education or requesting on-the-job training. Focus on gaining skills in
research, data analysis, communication, problem-solving, and attention to detail.
Additional Tips
As with many careers, networking is a powerful tool. You may open opportunities by
attending industry events, connecting with professionals on LinkedIn, or requesting
informational interviews from individuals already working in R&D.
Additionally, you should be willing to relocate in order to accept a position. Many food
industry R&D departments are located in large metropolitan areas. In the United States, for
example, California and New York are hotspots.
Key Takeaways
From recycling food waste to growing components in Petri dishes, food innovation is an
exciting field to be in right now.
Get started on your food R&D career by obtaining at least a bachelor’s degree in food
science or a related field. Then, be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up to
the position you want. Don’t forget to hone your ability to use research and communication
tools and your data analysis skills, network, and be flexible as to your home base.
It’s a long road to becoming a food industry R&D specialist, but it is a rewarding one in which
you can help avert environmental crisis and better the daily lives of people with dietary
restrictions.