AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-1012.00
Will AI replace Food Scientists and Technologists?
Food Scientists and Technologists: AI can already handle 2 of 13 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 13 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Food Scientists and Technologists, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Demonstrate products to clients. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 13 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 13 of 13. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 84% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 13,060
- Median annual wage
- $88,720
- Middle half of earners
- $68,810 to $116,650
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +6.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Food Science Technicians 83% skill overlap, about 6 months to move Exposure63
- Animal Scientists 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure67
- Chemists 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure59
- Soil and Plant Scientists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure51
- Materials Scientists 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure57
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Food Scientists and Technologists and AI
Will AI replace Food Scientists and Technologists?
AI already handles 2 of the 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 52 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +6.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Food Scientists and Technologists?
52 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 13 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 13 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Food Scientists and Technologists tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature; Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations. They are the tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 84% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Food Scientists and Technologists, and what do they earn?
13,060 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $88,720 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +6.5% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Food Scientists and Technologists. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/food-scientists-and-technologists
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