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The differences between food service technicians and associate food scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an associate food scientist has an average salary of $43,865, which is higher than the $33,791 average annual salary of a food service technician.
The top three skills for a food service technician include patients, tray line and food handling. The most important skills for an associate food scientist are quality food, food products, and customer service.
| Food Service Technician | Associate Food Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $33,791 | $43,865 |
| Hourly rate | $16.25 | $21.09 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 120,800 | 160,215 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Average age | 23 | 23 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A food technician monitors what goes in and out of a kitchen. The role entails ensuring that whatever food leaves the kitchen meets the company's standard. The role also requires them to work closely with the food service team to ensure adequate preparation, cleaning, and sanitizing of cooking equipment and work area. Food technicians are employed at hotels, restaurants, hospitals, or schools.
An associate food scientist is primarily responsible for developing new recipes for a company, ensuring quality and marketability. They are also responsible for improving existing recipes, performing support tasks for a head scientist, conducting market research and analysis, monitoring the progress of projects, and maintaining all recipes' data and records, including nutrition value and ingredients. Furthermore, there are instances when an associate food scientist must manage the packaging and storing processes of food, ensuring consumers' health and safety.
Food service technicians and associate food scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Service Technician | Associate Food Scientist | |
| Average salary | $33,791 | $43,865 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $45,000 | Between $35,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New Hampshire |
| Best paying company | Gillette | Emory University |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a food service technician and an associate food scientist in terms of educational background:
| Food Service Technician | Associate Food Scientist | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 35% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food service technicians' and associate food scientists' demographics:
| Food Service Technician | Associate Food Scientist | |
| Average age | 23 | 23 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3% | Male, 48.7% Female, 51.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |