Food Science Technicians
Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Includes technicians who assist in research and development of production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and use of foods.
14,600 people do this job in the US. $52,130 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 25%
- 0%
- 75%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 24%. Today's estimate: 25%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supervise other food science technicians.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 18% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct standardized tests on food, beverages, additives, or preservatives to ensure compliance with standards and regulations regarding factors such as color, texture, or nutrients.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Provide assistance to food scientists or technologists in research and development, production technology, or quality control.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 14% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Stays with people | |
| Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 9% | 33 min13 min to 1.3 h | 99%Half by now | |
| Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Monitor and control temperature of products.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 17 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Compute moisture or salt content, percentages of ingredients, formulas, or other product factors, using mathematical and chemical procedures.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Perform regular maintenance of laboratory equipment by inspecting, calibrating, cleaning, or sterilizing.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Examine chemical or biological samples to identify cell structures or to locate bacteria or extraneous material, using a microscope.Done daily by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 33 min17 min to 1.1 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).