Hey guys, im preparing for jee mains and will attempt in jan 2027. i wanna pursue btech in food sciencr and technology, as i have a great interest in this field and wanna do a startup related to it in the future, after a few years of job.

but my main concern is that many people around me are aiming for "higher" branches like cse, aerospace and mechanical. i havent seen anyone wanting the branch i want. is choosing this engg branch a right choice??? im genuinely interested in food science, but i wanna know whether this branch has a good career??

Hi everyone! I’m a recent BS Nutrition graduate from one of the Big 4 universities in the Philippines, and I’m currently figuring out what career path I want to take post-grad.

I initially thought I’d pursue a hospital-based career, but after some research, I came across Research & Development (R&D) roles and became really interested in the field. I feel like it could be a great way to apply my Nutrition background in areas like food product development and research.

I’m particularly interested in applying for an R&D position at Nestlé Philippines, but I’m not sure if my undergraduate degree would qualify me for these roles.

For those with experience in food/FMCG R&D, I’d really appreciate any insights on whether a BS Nutrition degree is considered relevant, as well as any advice for a fresh grad applying to Nestlé PH.

Hey all!

Wondering what people actually use to manage product R&D work day-to-day.

Do you track trials, batches, results, and new versions somewhere proper, or is it Excel plus a few docs? Curious to see if anyone has a particular set of tools they recommend using? I have been thinking of using something like Jira but thought there might be a few different options out there.

Mostly trying to work out what setups stay clean after a few projects. The thing I want to avoid is reformulating six months later and then spending a lot of time remembering where I left everything off.

Thanks!

Hey y’all, I’m looking to launch a new beverage and just had my first call with a flavor house. They charge $5000 for the development of a recipe, though it includes everything from 10 hours of lab time (about 3-4 SKU’s), unlimited reformulations, no shipping or material charges for samples, and you own the recipe as well.

Is this a good price for a company with a relatively low MOQ?

I’m gonna be getting some more quotes but I definitely wanna know what range I should be looking for. Thanks!

I have been disabled for the last three years due to my chronic illnesses and had to drop out of college, but as soon as I can get my current illness under control I want to go straight back to school. However my main two illnesses are something I always have to worry about in the future, like flair ups or needing brain surgery that’ll keep me out of work for a week or so. I shouldn’t be ever disabled this long again though once I find a good doctor. The only things I’d need consistently even when I am 100% feeling good is consistent air conditioning (heat intolerance), a place to sit, and somewhere to store aids.

I plan on majoring in biochemistry and am dead set on going into food science. Is this doable? And are remote jobs still around/a possibility in the future?

I just don’t want to dream about going back to school/work when I can’t. Then I could put my focus into something else.

Edit: I’m in the US and in a state with plenty of food science opportunity.

Edit: Thank you for everyone who responded, it seems pretty 50/50 so maybe I’ll consider broadening what I want to do with a biochem degree. I really love school and loved the food science related courses I took when I was at school but there’s so many other options I can hopefully consider

Hi! I have a product for cookie dough mix like you would buy off the shelf for Betty Crocker etc. looking for a co packer or manufacturer to scale. Thank you!

Hi, I am interested in studying Nutrition in uni because I love it, and I believe it’s very important in human health holistically. However the problem is I don’t want to become a dietitian/nutritionist. What other options are there for me if i do graduate with this degree? Thank you!

I am curious to hear about everyone journey in food science. What field are you currently working in, how did you get started, how many years of experience to you have and where are you in life and your career right now. If you are comfortable sharing it will be great. Thank you.

I am from india and i have a biology background so we don't have option its either medical science or go to change your career . I wasn't allowed to change my degrees to social sciences or finance cause my parents think that only thing these degrees will only lead to unemployment. So, through counselling, i got really good college for food technology and management, i was really happy with it , But now my indian father is telling me that he is so ashamed to even tell people around me which degree his daughter is doing. These things are making me feel bad about myself

I'm trying to sanity-check a number I heard: U.S. food and beverage companies spend around 12% of revenue, or maybe total cost, on regulatory compliance across transportation and the supply chain.

I can't find evidence for that exact claim. The closest source I found is a 2015 Aberdeen survey of 174 food and beverage manufacturers. It says the top 30% performer group had a total cost of quality equal to 12% of annual revenue. That includes prevention, assurance, internal failure and external failure. Only 63% of the survey sample was in North America, so it is not a U.S.-only or transportation-compliance number.

For transport, I found the FDA's Sanitary Transportation rule. It covers things like sanitary vehicles and equipment, temperature controls when needed for food safety, contamination prevention, training and records. FDA's economic analysis estimated the incremental industry cost of that rule at roughly $113M-$117M per year. The traceability rule is another cost layer, but FDA also reports that as an industry-wide annualized cost, not a standard percentage of company revenue.

For people working in food manufacturing, QA/food safety, distribution or refrigerated transport:

1. What do you include under "regulatory compliance cost" versus normal quality/cold-chain operations or customer requirements?

2. What denominator do you use: revenue, COGS, logistics spend or total supply-chain cost?

3. Are labor and documentation, audits, testing, sanitation, training, temperature monitoring, traceability systems, rejected loads and recalls tracked separately?

4. Does 12% sound plausible for a particular company size or product category, or is it probably a misreading of total cost of quality?

5. When a temperature or documentation failure happens, what is the usual operational consequence: load hold/rejection, corrective action, recall, enforcement or something else?

If you can share a rough range or anonymized example, that would help. I'm trying to understand how practitioners measure this, not promote a product.

​

Good morning,

I wanted to know if anyone has had experience with the online Master's in Food Science and Technology in wageningen university. Is it evaluated differently by companies than the in-person Master's program?

I’m currently developing an Asian-style chili crisp and ran into an issue with texture and flavor distribution.

My Goal & Constraints

• Low Water Activity (aw): Using 100% dried ingredients to keep aw low, prevent microbial growth, and achieve a minimum 1-year shelf life.
• Flavor Profile: Balanced savory, sweet, and tangy profile using salt, sugar, and apple cider vinegar powder.

Current Formulation & Process

1. Base dry blend: All solid ingredients (chili flakes, aromatics, spices, salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar powder).
2. Oil infusion/fry: Pour 80–90°C oil over the dry blend, then raise the temperature to 110–120°C and hold for 3–5 minutes until the solids absorb oil and the mix thickens.
3. Hot fill: Fill glass jars while hot, cap immediately, and allow to rest for 24 hours before opening.

The Problem

Because salt, sugar, and organic acid salts/powders are insoluble in oil, they clump together during the heating phase rather than distributing evenly. Whether I use standard granular sizes or grind them into a fine powder beforehand, I end up with gritty, concentrated "pockets" or hard clumps in the final product.

Questions for the Community

Has anyone successfully dispersed crystalline/dry water-soluble solids in oil without clumping? Does ultra-fine micronizing (e.g., using a colloid mill or high-shear blender after oil addition) help, or does fine powder make agglomeration worse due to surface tension?

Hi everyone, when did your food manufacturing business (or the one you work for) get too big to rely solely on spreadsheets to keep track of everything? We currently use separate files for purchasing, production, raw materials and finished goods and it's becoming too much to manage without someone breaking the formatting once a week. If you went through this, what tools or software centralised everything for you?