Food service technician vs food science technician

The differences between food service technicians and food 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 $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 a food science technician are food safety, product quality, and sensory evaluation.

Food service technician vs food science technician overview

	Food Service Technician	Food Science Technician
Yearly salary	$33,791	$36,799
Hourly rate	$16.25	$17.69
Growth rate	14%	6%
Number of jobs	120,800	58,701
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	23	43
Years of experience	-	-

Food service technician vs food science technician salary

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

	Food Service Technician	Food Science Technician
Average salary	$33,791	$36,799
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $45,000	Between $27,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Santa Clara, CA	Salinas, CA
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Gillette	Echo Lake Foods
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between food service technician and food science technician education

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

	Food Service Technician	Food Science Technician
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Food Science
Most common college	-	University of Wisconsin - Madison

Food service technician vs food science technician demographics

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

	Food Service Technician	Food Science Technician
Average age	23	43
Gender ratio	Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3%	Male, 52.4% Female, 47.6%
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, 10.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 6.9% White, 64.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

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

Food service technician example responsibilities.

Operate institutional slicers, shredders, food processors, and sealer machines.
Follow and maintain high sanitation standards and guidelines as per NFS, and HACCP.
Ensure proper hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) and ServSave protocols are adhered to.
Maintain facility cleanliness and security.
Maintain the professional and cleanliness outlook of the facility
Assist patients one-on-one in making menu selections according to their therapeutic diets.

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.

Food service technician vs food science technician skills

Common food service technician skills

Patients, 27%
Tray Line, 7%
Food Handling, 7%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Meal Service, 6%
Food Carts, 5%

Common food science technician skills

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

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Food Service Technician vs Food Science Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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