Food Technologist
Also known as: Product Development Executive · R&D Executive (Food) · Food Scientist
Develops and improves food products and processes, from kitchen-scale trials to plant production.
What you’d do
A food technologist develops new food products and improves existing ones and the processes that make them. Packaged-food, beverage, dairy, bakery and ingredient companies hire them. A day involves formulation trials, sensory and shelf-life tests, checking regulatory limits and supporting trials on the plant line.
- Develop and test new product formulations
- Run pilot trials and shelf-life studies
- Prepare specifications and label details
- Support plant trials and scale-up
How you get in
Freshers often start in quality or production at a food plant and move into product development, or join an R&D team directly as a trainee through campus placement or direct application. R&D teams often prefer a master's degree.
Salary in India
Fresher salary over the years
middle of the 0–1 yr range, ₹ lakh a year
Fewer than two years of fresher data so far — the trend shows once there are two.
Skills you’ll use
From our guide · a curated list is coming
- Food chemistry and formulation
- Sensory evaluation and shelf-life testing
- Reading FSSAI standards and labelling rules
- Documenting trials and specifications
About this field · for freshers
Job openings by year
Is demand growing?
Not added yet.
Competition4
How many graduates enter each year?
B.Tech / B.E. (all branches) graduates in 2023-24 at institutions that reported to AISHE — everyone finishing that degree, not only those entering this role.
Who hires
IT firms, banks, government, startups?
Not added yet.
Where the jobs are
Which cities?
Not added yet.
Women in the field4
Is it diverse?
Share of women among B.Tech / B.E. (all branches) graduates in 2023-24 — the entry degree, not people already working in this role.
At a glance
- Common next roles: senior product developer, R&D manager, regulatory specialist.
- Plant experience helps, since new products must run on real production lines.
- Product development teams are smaller than quality and production teams.
Stay safe
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