Better living through food science

Want to change the world through food? Then become a food scientist.

But what exactly are the challenges, and how can you play your part? The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) is a UK-based independent professional qualifying body for food scientists and technologists. Their aim is to advance the standing of food science and technology as a subject and a profession. We spoke Jack Pearse, the IFST’s Chairman of the Education & Accreditation Committee to find out more.

Why would you recommend young people to choose a career in food science?
 
I would say they would have a satisfying career that benefits the production and supply of safe and wholesome food. That is, they are ensuring that the food supply for the population is safe and beneficial and not going to cause any harm.
 
What sort of jobs are out there for a person choosing food science as a career?
 
There is a very wide range of careers. People are employed in academia in schools, colleges and universities and in both small and large industry. [They are] involved in production, processing, chill chain management, retailing and in government at various levels, or in government agencies. There are members of the food science profession in all those areas.

What kind of academic qualifications should students pursue before embarking in a career in food science?
 
There are degree courses in food science and food technology – there are modular degrees – like food science with chemistry or food science with another subject. And those with pure science degrees like in chemistry, microbiology, biology, nutrition and engineering can be employed in the food science profession.

And it also involves people who on the face of it don’t have a science-related degree who can be involved in the industry, such as those who studied economics or marketing or aspects of management.

Is a career in food science generally academic?
 
No, certainly not. There are people employed in academia, research, industry and in the public sector, for example. So there is a very, very wide range of careers available to people. It certainly isn’t simply an academic career. The academic career is available for people who wish to follow that path but a majority of food scientists and technologists are in the industrial sphere or in the public sector.

There are also a significant number who work as self employed consultants in the food industry.

How has the world changed thanks to food scientists?

There has been a lot of change in food preservation, which has been going on for a millennia. There are newer processes which have come along, which have been thanks to food scientists, like microwaving, food irradiation (as a way to ensuring safe food), high pressure processing, food surveillance. Food science is vitally important and carried out as an activity by both by industry and the public sector to ensure food is safe from a microbiological point of view and that there are no harmful contaminants present as well.

Also, studies in relation to food poisoning (the detection and identification of pathogens) are due to the work of food scientists.

Has joining the EU influenced the work of food scientists?
 
I suppose the main influence there is through the implementation of various directives that have come out from the EU. The EU have released a number of directives that specifically relate to food products both in terms of composition and measurement of containments, and so on.

So, the implementation of those directives has been, as it were, an additional layer to national legislation, which has an immediate impact.

How has food science benefited the population’s health?
 
It has benefited the public through the reduction [and identification] of food-borne diseases and types of micro-bacteria.

For example, the outbreak in John Barr’s butcher shop CAN YOU LINK TO SOMETHING ON THIS…EVEN ON AN EXTERNAL SITE in the late 1990s in Scotland, where due to bad practise processed meats were becoming contaminated from raw meat. The organism there was a very dangerous micro organism called e coli – 015787, to give it its full name. This resulted in a large number of deaths, particularly in elderly people.

So, it’s being able to identify causes such as that but also preventing them at the same time. Once we know about things we are forewarned, and are then able to improve surveillance and monitoring. So that’s the main benefit, the reduction of food borne disease.
 
What issues may a food scientist have to face in the future?

A very major issue is obesity of the population, but what contribution can a food scientist make in helping tackle obesity from a food or nutrition point of view?

And there are many other issues a food scientist could undertake as well. Like processing: how can we reduce processing of food but still ensure that it is safe and wholesome?

Things like carbon footprints in food processing and food productions will be important. Food miles will be increasingly important because of the globalisation of food supply. Packaging: how can we reduce packaging and minimise waste?

Traceability is important and is becoming so increasingly. There was an incident of a dye called ‘Sudan Red’ being used incorrectly, so there was a major problem of traceability. Like where did it come from and how did it get into the food supply? How did it get into the food chain and once it was in the food chain, how far did it spread?

Robotics is going to be another issue as well. Use of robotics in food processing, for example.

Micro organisms are always an issue as they are always changing with what we call emerging pathogens so things that aren’t pathogenic now could be pathogenic and dangerous at some point in future due to constant evolution.

So there will be no shortage of challenges.

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