Career In Food Processing

Food is very important part of our life, that’s why Food Processing has become a rewarding career option.

Now, the question comes to your mind:

What is Food Processing?

Food processing is the branch of Food Science, where a set of techniques and methods are used to change the raw ingredients into prepared food. It is a procedure in which food is prepared for consumption purposes by humans and animals.

Food processing is a broad term, in itself, which includes processing, preservation, manufacturing, packaging, and canning of various food items.

In India, Food Processing industry is gaining momentum as consumer food industry.

The modern food processing techniques have prompted the feasibility of the development of present day stores.

In the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Modern food processing technology was developed in a large part to serve military needs.

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Career Scope

Food processing industries lead to the highest employment in all industry. So, giving employment indirectly to the almost lakhs of people. Food processing industry in India provides numbers of direct and indirect employment opportunities because it somehow connects the Agriculture to the Manufacturing. In the upcoming years, there will be good demand for healthy, modern food products. India is the second largest producer of food next to China.

It is expected that in upcoming of few years the total food production in India is maybe double and there is an opportunity for the graduates of food processing technicians. The most common areas of employment are Canning, Dairy and Food Processing, Packaging, Frozen Food / Refrigeration and Thermo-Processing. Some of the sub-sectors of the food processing industry are Fruits & Vegetables Processing, Fisheries, Milk & Milk Products, Meat & Poultry, Alcoholic Beverages & Soft Drinks and Grain processing. You can also employ in the consumer product groups like confectionery, chocolates and cocoa products, Soya-based products, mineral water, high protein foods, soft beverages, alcoholic and non-alcoholic fruit beverages, etc.

Courses & Duration

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Food processing can be learned through various courses that are conducted by different colleges in India. You can opt diploma, certificate, degree & doctoral courses to become an expert in food processing. The courses offered in this field is of different duration depending on the colleges/universities. The programmes under this course are given below:

Certificate Courses:

• Certificate Course in Food Processing and Preservation

Diploma Courses:

• Diploma in Food Processing
• Diploma in Food Preservation
• Diploma in Food Processing & Technology

Bachelor Courses (Three/Four Years):

• B.Sc in Home Science/ Food Technology/Food Science
• B.Tech in Food Processing & Technology

Master Degree (Two years):

• M.Sc in Home Science/ Food Technology/ Food and Nutrition/Biotechnology
• M.Tech in Home Science/ Food Technology/ Food and Nutrition/Biotechnology

Doctoral Courses:

• Ph.D in Food Technology/Biotechnology/Food Preservation

Eligibility & Admission

• If you are interested to do a certificate course, you must have qualified 10th examination.
• The candidate has to pass 10+2 examination with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PCM) or Physics, Chemistry, Biology (Medical Stream) subjects for admission in Bachelor courses. You can also take admission through JEE Main 2024 and JEE Advanced 2024.
• Those Candidates opting for M.Sc & M.Tech, they have to qualify their Bachelor’s degree in Science. For M.Tech Course, you can appear for the GATE 2024.
• Some private universities conduct its own entrance exam for admission in food processing course.

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Colleges offer Food Processing Courses:

• Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
• B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar
• Rajasthan technical university, Kota, Rajasthan
• SRM University, Department of Food Process Engineering, Ghaziabad, UP
• Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai
• MS University, Vadodara
• University of Bombay, Mumbai

Career & Jobs

“Career in Food Processing has a Bright Future.”

There are ample job opportunities for fresher and experienced professionals in the food processing industry. In India, Food processing is still in its blossoming stage that promises a plethora of employment options. It is an attractive and lucrative industry which ensures that experts from various areas find fruitful jobs for themselves.

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Before opting a career in food processing Industry, you have to analyze your strength, weakness, opportunities, and threat. It is necessary to judge you that you are prepared to work in this challenging sector or not.

In Food Processing Industry, there is an extensive range of job opportunities for a varied range of professionals: managers, food technologists, and engineering graduates.

You can be employed in Food processing companies, food research laboratories, Hospitals, Catering establishments, Retailers, Food Wholesalers, and Restaurants.

Various jobs can be explored in the area of food processing such as milk products, grains, fruits and vegetables, fisheries, confectionery, beverages, packaged/convenience foods, plantation products and health foods and supplements.

Job Profile:

• Bacteriologists
• Toxicologists
• Food Technologists
• Food batch makers
• Food cooking machine operators and tenders
• Baking and drying machine operators and tenders
• Bakers
• Jobs in Food Supply Chain

The food processing Industry also recruits professional in the different sector of the food industry such as analytical chemists, research scientists, biochemists, engineers (mechanical, electrical, agricultural, chemical, civil, and industrial), home economists and managers and accountants.

Recruiters:

• Dabur India
• ITC Limited
• Agro Tech Foods
• Parle Products Pvt. Ltd.
• Cadbury India Ltd.
• Nestle India Pvt. Ltd.
• PepsiCo India Holdings
• Britannia Industries Ltd.
• Hindustan Unilever Limited
• Godrej Industries Limited

Salary

Your salary will be depended on your educational qualification, work experience, skills & contribution in the Food processing industry. As a fresher, you can earn a salary between Rs. 2.5 Lac to Rs. 3 Lacs per annum. Those candidates have an experience in this field, they get the salary around Rs. 4 Lac to Rs. 5.5 Lacs per year.

Books & Study Material

• The Complete Book on Managing Food Processing Industry Waste by H. Panda
• Modern Technology of Agro Processing & Agricultural Waste Products by NIIR Board
• Modern Technology on Food Preservation (2nd Edition) by NPCS Board
• Food Packaging Technology Handbook (2nd Revised Edition) by NIIR Board
• Food Processing and Preservation by B.Sivasankar
• Food Processing by Carl J. Schaschke
• Principles of Food Processing by Rchard W Hartel
• Food Processing and Preservation by B.Sivasankar

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