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Boston Career Explorer

Life, Physical, and Social Science

Food Science Technicians

Work with food scientists or technologists to perform standardized qualitative and quantitative tests to determine physical or chemical properties of food or beverage products. Includes technicians who assist in research and development of production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and use of foods.

Also called: Central Laboratory Technician (CLT), Food Science Tech (Food Science Technician), Laboratory Assistant (Lab Assistant), Laboratory Technician (Lab Tech), QA Lab Tech (Quality Assurance Lab Technician), QC Tech (Quality Assurance Technician)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$63,160
$30.36/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
130
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+8.7%
30 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Associate's degree
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$51,160$57,840$63,160$73,270$76,260

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Taste or smell foods or beverages to ensure that flavors meet specifications or to select samples with specific characteristics.
  • Measure, test, or weigh bottles, cans, or other containers to ensure that hardness, strength, or dimensions meet specifications.
  • Maintain records of testing results or other documents as required by state or other governing agencies.
  • Monitor and control temperature of products.
  • Analyze test results to classify products or compare results with standard tables.
  • Record or compile test results or prepare graphs, charts, or reports.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure48 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 49
  • Language-model AIOE 46
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 48

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has moderate AI exposure, and AI tools are already used a good deal in this kind of work. Tools can help with record keeping and with analyzing test results against standards. Tasting and smelling foods, handling containers, and checking product temperatures still rely on a trained person in the room.

Likely to change

  • Keeping and filing testing records
  • Comparing test results with standards

Still relies on people

  • Tasting and smelling products for quality
  • Handling and measuring physical samples

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

75 programs near Boston (plus 44 graduate)

Related occupations

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