Food science technician vs biological science technician

The differences between food science technicians and biological science technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food science technician has an average salary of $36,799, which is higher than the $35,390 average annual salary of a biological science technician.

The top three skills for a food science technician include food safety, product quality and sensory evaluation. The most important skills for a biological science technician are laboratory equipment, data collection, and rehabilitation.

Food science technician vs biological science technician overview

	Food Science Technician	Biological Science Technician
Yearly salary	$36,799	$35,390
Hourly rate	$17.69	$17.01
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	58,701	13,801
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	43	40
Years of experience	-	4

Food science technician vs biological science technician salary

Food science technicians and biological science technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Science Technician	Biological Science Technician
Average salary	$36,799	$35,390
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $48,000	Between $26,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	Salinas, CA	Watertown Town, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Echo Lake Foods	SenesTech
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between food science technician and biological science technician education

There are a few differences between a food science technician and a biological science technician in terms of educational background:

	Food Science Technician	Biological Science Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Food Science	Biology
Most common college	University of Wisconsin - Madison	Duke University

Food science technician vs biological science technician demographics

Here are the differences between food science technicians' and biological science technicians' demographics:

	Food Science Technician	Biological Science Technician
Average age	43	40
Gender ratio	Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 12.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between food science technician and biological science technician duties and responsibilities

Food science technician example responsibilities.

Develop and process data and presentations and manage technical documents for FDA & USDA.
Inspect plant for microbiological contamination and drive cleaning/resolution to improve public safety and company image.
Used Autocad for topographic/bathymetric cross-sections.

Biological science technician example responsibilities.

Create PowerPoint and other support media for presentation of research to PhD research leads.
Assist in developing a genetic algorithm for generating sound recognition templates for insect calls (still ongoing).
Develop an image viewer design to let researchers train programs so that they can see and label insect calls
General laboratory work - collecting tissue sample, organization/preparation, plant seeds, greenhouse work, maintenance of plants, etc
Train on FDA regulations for biological materials and regulating inventory.
Prepare bacteria suspension for greenhouse cotton bolls and inject bacterial suspension bolls.

Food science technician vs biological science technician skills

Common food science technician skills

Food Safety, 26%
Product Quality, 20%
Sensory Evaluation, 19%
Culinary, 12%
Lab Equipment, 8%
Analytical Results, 7%

Common biological science technician skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Data Collection, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Scientific Data, 5%
USDA, 5%
Water Quality, 4%

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Food Science Technician
Food Science Technician vs Biological Science Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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