Top 5 interesting areas of specialization in the food industry (excluding food safety and quality)

Are you a Food Science and Technology student, recent graduate, food industry enthusiast or new entrant in the food industry? You're in luck! This newsletter will interest you, so keep reading.?

Food safety, quality assurance and quality control are very popular areas of specialization in the food industry. This is not out of place because food safety and quality are important customer/consumer requirements for every food product.?But who said these are the only areas where you can thrive in the food industry??NO ONE.

There are other interesting areas of specialization that you can explore, learn, grow and make a difference (M.A.D).?My top 5 in no particular order are:

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1. Food marketing and sales:?

After manufacturing comes marketing and sales. If food products are not marketed effectively to convey their nutrition and health benefits to the consumers, the brand may lose out on potential buyers. Food Scientists and Food Technologists often shy away from this role but I believe that we are in the best position to function as marketers of food as we have the right knowledge to explain the manufacturing process, the proximate composition of food as well as nutritional and health benefits of food, including proper storage conditions to retain food quality and safety to consumers, retailers and even wholesalers.

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2. Food brand management:

The reputation of a food brand within the industry, in the market and in the minds of end-users goes a long way to determine consumer acceptance.?No matter how excellent the quality of a food product is, there must be brand managers working hard to ensure that the brand image is maintained to build trust and loyalty of consumers using different channels like television, radio, social media, billboards, etc. Through brand management, compelling brand stories that are relatable are created thereby keeping the brand top of mind in the hearts of consumers.?

3. Food supply chain management (SCM):?

In recent times, poor supply chain management affected some food manufacturing companies. For instance, during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, only companies with resilient supply chain systems survived while the rest could not. Demand planning/forecasting, sourcing, purchasing and transportation, warehousing, inventory management, , traceability, etc of both raw/packaging materials and finished goods are all within the nucleus of supply chain management.?No food manufacturing company jokes with their supply chain.?In simple terms, no supply chain equals no production.?

4. Regulatory affairs and compliance:

The food industry is a heavily regulated industry. There are both local and international regulations governing activities like manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertisement, import, export, distribution, etc of food to ensure that standards pertaining to food safety, quality, occupational health and safety, environmental health, religion (eg HALAL), etc are complied with. Regulatory affairs and compliance personnel are at the forefront during regulatory inspections and internal/external audits of quality management system (QMS) and food safety management system (FSMS) as well as new product approval and registration, product launch, product recalls, etc. They generally serve as the middlemen between the regulatory agencies and the company.

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5. New product development (NPD):?

The food industry is not monopolistic. The competition is real! Therefore, innovative food companies are always studying market trends, gathering feedback from consumers and exploring/researching other ways to develop entirely new products or reformulate existing ones to meet the ever-changing needs of the consumers and thus remain relevant in the market place. Understanding of the market, technical knowledge of food products vis-à-vis competition and knowledge of the current requirements of the consumers is valuable during any product development process.?

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And yes, it's a wrap!

Which of these 5 areas of specialization interests you the most?

If you're a professional in any of the listed areas of specialization, tell us one thing you love about your work.

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Dear reader, this months newsletter aims at spotlighting other interesting areas of specialization in the food industry especially to Food Science and Technology students, recent graduates, food industry enthusiasts and new entrants in the food industry.?

Did you learn something new? Please let me know in the comment section and feel free to repost and enlighten someone in your network.?Special shout-out to over 14,800 unique readers subscribed to this newsletter.

Stay safe out there, until next time. ?

Written and edited by: Chidinma Ochulor for ??????'?? ???????? ????????! ????????????????????.

Chidinma is a Food Scientist and Technologist, a Food Safety and Quality Professional and is certified by CQI/IRCA as a food safety management systems lead auditor. She is recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Voice in 4 areas which are: Food Manufacturing, Food Science, Quality Assurance and Quality Management.

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