Taste tester

Andrew's career tips

• You have to be able to relate to people at all levels, from the factory floor to board rooms.
• Don't be afraid of moving to the country food factories to get some "coalface" experience.
• Identify one or more mentors and find out what their journey was like.
• Get a business postgraduate qualification later in your technical career to better understand the commercial environment.

Andrew Christensen, food technologist

Do food technologists have to love food?
Loving food definitely opens up the innovation opportunities for you as you are always then looking for new flavours, textures or concepts. When my family goes shopping it takes us twice as long because I am always looking at the labels, packaging and who is buying what in the supermarket! The food industry is vast and food technologists don't just formulate recipes. They can be found in manufacturing, quality assurance, engineering, marketing, auditing and technical sales areas, to name a few.

Why did you choose this as a career?
I worked in a commercial bakery part-time while in high school and the owner was a food technologist. He told me great stories of products he had developed with a company in the UK. He had developed the "shake and pour pancakes", which are still on the market today. He suggested if I was interested I should look into a food science and technology degree. The University of Queensland was where I ended up doing this.

What sort of qualifications do you need?
Some form of science degree is acceptable; chemistry and microbiology are good, however a food science and technology degree is well-regarded: the focus is on the chemistry, microbiology and engineering of food products and processes. A business/commerce qualification definitely helps as there is a real commercial focus to what we do: slight recipe, process or formulation changes can make a massive difference to the bottom line and ultimate profit for the organisation.

What are the highlights?
I have a dream job for a food technologist at Nestlé, we get to work with great brands such as Milo, Kit Kat, Maggi, Uncle Tobys and Nescafe, just to name a few. Every single food product on the supermarket shelves has had the input of a food technologist. It is really rewarding to see products that you have worked on sell well.

Do you have to work well in a team?
Teamwork is the only way you can achieve your launch and everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction, although there is still autonomy in the role.

Does the science of food technology ever change?
Without a doubt. You just need to look at the "genetically modified" debate to know that the food industry is evolving. Packaging is always changing and ingredients are always being developed that increase perception, flavour and taste.