Your Roadmap to a Career with Food Industry Disruptors

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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Food Food Industry Career environmental impact Animal Free Food Industry R Food science product Waste research

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Interesting documents about a variety of subjects from around the world. Posted on edocr.

Food Food Industry Career environmental impact Animal Free Food Industry R Food science product Waste research

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.