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Food Technologist

Rising

Agriculture

Develops, tests and improves food products for manufacturers — quality control, safety compliance (HALAL, HACCP, GMP) and new product development. Strong link between agriculture and the F&B industry.

AgricultureScience

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
  2. 2Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
  3. 3Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
  4. 4Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
  5. 5Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
  6. 6Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
  7. 7Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
  8. 8Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
  9. 9Develop new food items for production, based on consumer feedback.
  10. 10Develop new or improved ways of preserving, processing, packaging, storing, and delivering foods, using knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, and other sciences.
  11. 11Evaluate food processing and storage operations and assist in the development of quality assurance programs for such operations.
  12. 12Demonstrate products to clients.
  13. 13Seek substitutes for harmful or undesirable additives, such as nitrites.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Enologist
  • Flavorist
  • Scientist
  • Formulator
  • Swine Tech
  • Crop Advisor
  • QC Scientist
  • Food Engineer
  • Research Chef
  • Food Scientist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Mechanical Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Production and Processing — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
AgricultureDraws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Home Science (SRT)Draws directly on Food Production — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Chemistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Production and Processing88%

    Design & Technology (RBT)Mechanical Engineering Studies

  • Food Production83%

    AgricultureHome Science (SRT)

  • Chemistry81%

    Chemistry

  • English Language79%

    English

  • Mathematics74%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Engineering and Technology73%

    PhysicsAdditional MathematicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

Skills to build

CommunicationOrganisationTeamwork

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicHigh
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Time walking or movingA little

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Test processing equipment to ensure products are produced according to specifications.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

23%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in the private market

Monthly pay from fresh grad to mid-career, from the salary guide cited on this page.

Entry

Private
RM2,500 – RM3,500

Mid-career

Private
RM4,500 – RM7,500

Government pay isn't shown: we haven't yet sourced the SSPA civil-service salary tables, and we won't estimate them.

Job demand outlook

Rising

Hiring is growing: more openings expected over the next few years.

Your readiness

How your current SPM subjects line up with this career.

Add your SPM grades to see how ready you are for this career.

Add my grades

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Food Scientists and Technologists

Source: JobStreet Salary Guide · as of Jan 2025

Check the salary figures yourself:JobStreet

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue