Food chemist vs laboratory chemist

The differences between food chemists and laboratory 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 $62,702 average annual salary of a laboratory chemist.

The top three skills for a food chemist include laboratory equipment, FDA and sops. The most important skills for a laboratory chemist are lab equipment, chromatography, and analytical methods.

Food chemist vs laboratory chemist overview

	Food Chemist	Laboratory Chemist
Yearly salary	$62,727	$62,702
Hourly rate	$30.16	$30.15
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	61,028	41,322
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Food chemist vs laboratory chemist salary

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

	Food Chemist	Laboratory Chemist
Average salary	$62,727	$62,702
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $87,000	Between $45,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	Nutley, NJ
Highest paying state	Delaware	Virginia
Best paying company	Cargill	BASF
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between food chemist and laboratory chemist education

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

	Food Chemist	Laboratory Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 80%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Southern California

Food chemist vs laboratory chemist demographics

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

	Food Chemist	Laboratory Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 57.3% Female, 42.7%	Male, 63.9% Female, 36.1%
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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between food chemist and laboratory 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.

Laboratory chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Perform testing on BioGlue components, titration - uv-vis - gel electrophoresis, and FTIR examination of incoming raw materials.
Develop and execute HPLC, UV and dissolution test methods for non-routine raw materials and finish products.
Conduct raw material analyses, perform tests using FTIR and GC instrumentation, develop policies and procedures, conduct trouble shooting.
Include GPC, GC-MS, FTIR, NMR and others
Participate in all kind of audit like ISO 17025, ISO 18001, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

Food chemist vs laboratory chemist skills

Common food chemist skills

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

Common laboratory chemist skills

Lab Equipment, 8%
Chromatography, 5%
Analytical Methods, 5%
Laboratory Procedures, 5%
Sample Preparation, 4%
Wet Chemistry, 4%

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Food Chemist vs Laboratory Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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