Food chemist vs environmental chemist

The differences between food chemists and environmental chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food chemist has an average salary of $62,727, which is higher than the $56,956 average annual salary of an environmental chemist.

The top three skills for a food chemist include laboratory equipment, FDA and sops. The most important skills for an environmental chemist are data validation, GC, and ms.

Food chemist vs environmental chemist overview

	Food Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Yearly salary	$62,727	$56,956
Hourly rate	$30.16	$27.38
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	61,028	22,234
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Food chemist vs environmental chemist salary

Food chemists and environmental chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Average salary	$62,727	$56,956
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $87,000	Between $38,000 And $84,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Delaware
Best paying company	Cargill	Southern California Edison
Best paying industry	-	Internet

Differences between food chemist and environmental chemist education

There are a few differences between a food chemist and an environmental chemist in terms of educational background:

	Food Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 82%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of California, Berkeley

Food chemist vs environmental chemist demographics

Here are the differences between food chemists' and environmental chemists' demographics:

	Food Chemist	Environmental Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7%	Male, 62.1% Female, 37.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.1% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between food chemist and environmental chemist duties and responsibilities

Food chemist example responsibilities.

Manage food chemistry testing laboratory and measure clenbuterol levels in beef samples by HPLC
Position are focused around ensuring that the different products being test pass the specifications put in place by the FDA.
Provide calculated electronic absorption (UV/Vis) spectra for molecular candidates suspect to be impurity chromophores in a commercial nylon process.
Establish extraction profiles and develop appropriate QC methods for product certification and annual qualification.

Environmental chemist example responsibilities.

Manage storage of hazardous waste for compliance with RCRA regulations.
Manage and operate mobile laboratories analyzing a wide range of samples utilizing USEPA SW846 GC/MS and HPLC methods.
Achieve expertise with hydrogenations and catalysts, low temp reactions, TLC, reactions done with UV and infrare lights.
Achieve expertise with organic techniques like steam distillation, recrystallization, vacuum sublimation/distillation.
Administer various laboratory safety audits with regard to OSHA rules and regulations to maintain adherence and manage necessary corrective actions.
Conduct analysis of heavy metals in environmental soil and water samples using ICP-OES and ICP-MS

Food chemist vs environmental chemist skills

Common food chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 18%
FDA, 17%
Sops, 13%
R, 9%
HPLC, 9%
Food Products, 8%

Common environmental chemist skills

Data Validation, 8%
GC, 6%
Ms, 6%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
ICP-MS, 5%
Environmental Samples, 5%

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Food Chemist vs Environmental Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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