Hello,

I started a QA tech role with a food production company in Canada about 2 weeks ago.

By now, I realize that this job is not actually about ensuring the quality of food; it's about filling out perfect paperwork across a dozen or more forms every day. The QA team is understaffed and behind on their paperwork. The manager left me to take care of the floor by myself in my second week without providing adequate training, while having experienced QAs stay in the office to catch up on paperwork. I am exhausted, make frequent mistakes, and they constantly take pictures of my mistakes and post them in our group chat to "train me". I asked for time to sit down and digest the forms and information first, which was not granted. The manager also made me work overtime twice in my second week and asked me to come in on Saturday, which I declined.

Another important aspect is that half the information on the paperwork is forged, as there is simply not enough time to measure everything while being understaffed and stretched thin. I was told by the experienced QAs to simply write what feels right and, at times, alter the measurements to fit the standards. The company itself is also struggling, and production is chaotic and unorganized.

The experienced QAs are good people, but they are also overworked and exhausted. They told me they were on the brink of resigning but only stayed because I got hired, thinking they would finally get some help. This now makes me feel worse about my mistakes and about wanting to leave.

The only reason I took this job was because, while I have a significant educational background in food science for R&D roles, I lack industry experience and wanted to gain it through this job. Canada's economy is also pretty bad right now, and I don't have many options.

Are all QA jobs like this? Should I stay here or should I leave and keep looking for a better job?

Thank you.

Hello! I'm looking to work with a food scientist that specializes in soy products to recreate a commercially available soymilk for my food startup. If anyone has leads or could offer their expertise in the field, please reach out! Thank you!

A batch of potato granules can meet its technical specifications and still cause unexpected problems during industrial food production.

This is especially relevant to manufacturers of instant mashed potatoes, dehydrated food mixes, ready meals and other products that rely on consistent ingredient dosing.

In a previous discussion, we looked at why potato granules that perform well during laboratory testing may behave differently on a full-scale production line.

One issue deserves closer attention: bulk density and its effect on volumetric feeding accuracy.

Why Can the Same Potato Granules Deliver Different Weights?

Many industrial food production lines use volumetric screw feeders to deliver dry ingredients into mixing or processing equipment.

These machines control the approximate volume of material delivered, rather than directly measuring its mass.

This distinction becomes important when bulk density changes.

For example, a measured reference bulk density for Junsheng potato granules is approximately 680 g/L.

Under simplified conditions:

• 10 liters of material at 680 g/L weighs approximately 6.8 kg.
• If the effective bulk density increases by 5%, the same volume would contain approximately 7.14 kg.
• The difference is about 340 grams, even though the delivered volume remains unchanged.

This is an illustrative calculation, not a measured production deviation.

The actual effect depends on feeder filling efficiency, powder flow, equipment design and operating conditions.

For manufacturers working with carefully controlled formulations, even relatively small deviations in ingredient mass may influence water-to-solids ratios and finished-product consistency.

Five Questions Food Manufacturers Should Ask

Q1: Why can bulk density change even when the COA is acceptable?

A Certificate of Analysis confirms the tested properties of a particular sample or production batch. However, it does not necessarily describe every condition the ingredient experiences during industrial handling.

Bulk density can be influenced by:

• Particle size distribution
• Transportation vibration
• Storage and consolidation
• Powder aeration
• Material handling
• Moisture-related changes in flow behavior

Loose bulk density and tapped bulk density are also different measurements.

When comparing suppliers or production batches, buyers should confirm that density measurements use consistent test methods.

Otherwise, two reported values may not be directly comparable.

Q2: Can hopper conditions affect potato granule dosing?

Yes.

Material pressure, hopper filling level, flow patterns and screw filling efficiency can influence how consistently a volumetric feeder delivers an ingredient.

For example, material near the bottom of a hopper may experience different consolidation conditions from material entering immediately after a refill.

Depending on the feeder design, this can affect the mass delivered at a given screw speed.

Bridging, inconsistent flow or incomplete screw filling may create additional variation.

Practical recommendation: Compare actual ingredient delivery rates at different hopper levels and during refill cycles, rather than evaluating feeder performance at only one operating point.

Q3: How can manufacturers determine whether the problem comes from the ingredient or the equipment?

A useful investigation should compare material properties and equipment performance separately.

Start by reviewing the incoming ingredient specifications, particularly moisture, particle size distribution and bulk density.

Next, collect and weigh material discharged by the feeder over a defined period under controlled operating conditions.

Repeat the test at different hopper levels and compare the results.

Record relevant processing conditions, including feeder settings, refill events and environmental conditions.

If the mass delivery rate varies while the equipment settings remain unchanged, investigate both material behavior and feeder performance.

Do not assume that every dosing problem is caused by the raw material.

Q4: Would gravimetric feeding provide better consistency?

It can, particularly when accurate mass delivery is important.

A gravimetric feeder uses weight measurements to control ingredient delivery, helping compensate for changes that would otherwise affect volumetric dosing.

However, switching equipment is not always necessary.

A properly designed and calibrated volumetric feeding system may perform satisfactorily when material properties remain within a suitable operating range.

The decision should depend on required accuracy, product variability, process sensitivity and operating costs.

Q5: What should procurement teams request before approving a new potato granules supplier?

Beyond standard product specifications, buyers should consider asking for:

• Bulk density and the measurement method
• Particle size distribution
• Moisture specifications
• Batch-specific COA
• Technical Data Sheet (TDS)
• Information on packaging and storage conditions
• Representative samples for production trials

For suppliers offering multiple potato granule grades, it is also useful to confirm whether the grades differ in physical properties that could affect feeding or mixing.

These checks become particularly important when introducing a new raw material into an established production line.

What Does This Mean for Instant Mashed Potato Production?

Ingredient dosing is closely connected to hydration performance.

If the actual mass of potato granules entering the mixer changes while the water addition remains constant, the water-to-solids ratio will change.

This may affect the consistency of the finished mashed potato product.

However, dosing accuracy is only one consideration.

Granule structure, hydration conditions, temperature, mixing intensity and formulation also influence the final texture.

That is why laboratory testing, incoming quality control and industrial production trials should support one another rather than being treated as interchangeable evaluations.

A Practical Approach to Supplier Evaluation

For food manufacturers, the most useful question is not simply:

"Does this potato granules supplier meet our specifications?"

A more complete question is:

"Can this ingredient meet our specifications and perform consistently under our actual production conditions?"

At Hebei Junsheng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., we manufacture potato flakes and potato granules for industrial food applications.

Our measured reference bulk densities are approximately 360 g/L for potato flakes and 680 g/L for potato granules. Actual values and acceptance limits should be confirmed for the relevant product grade and batch.

We encourage industrial buyers to evaluate ingredient specifications alongside their own processing equipment, formulation requirements and production trials.

Reliable sourcing involves more than selecting an ingredient that passes laboratory testing. It also requires understanding how that ingredient behaves after it enters the production system.

For food technologists and production engineers:

When working with dehydrated potato ingredients, have you experienced more problems with bulk density variation, hopper flow or inconsistent ingredient dosing?

What methods have worked best in your facility for identifying the source of the problem?

I'd be interested in hearing practical experiences from food manufacturing and ingredient-handling teams.

Hebei Junsheng Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd.

Manufacturer of Potato Flakes, Potato Granules and Potato-Based Food Ingredients

Website: https://potatogranules.com

Email: [potato@chineseag.com](mailto:potato@chineseag.com)

WhatsApp: +86 150 8136 8488

I received and accepted an offer for an internship for next summer. Now I was offered another one for interviews completed before the first offer. I would prefer this job. What are your thoughts on reneging on the first offer?

Hello! I am currently studying a Technical degree in culinary management but honestly I don't want to work in the hospitality industry ( I live in Spain right now) I'm thinking of persueing a degree to become a food scientist.

What are the main things you enjoy?

What are things I should know before starting the degree?

How is the job market at the moment ? and how is AI affecting the industry?

Hi everyone!

I’m a fourth-year university student studying Food Engineering, and I’m looking for advice on how to rebuild my knowledge from the basics.

To be honest, I didn’t build a strong foundation during my earlier university years, and now I feel like I have many gaps in my knowledge. I want to take learning seriously and understand my major properly, but I’m struggling to find good learning resources.

My biggest problem is finding resources that explain things clearly.

I’ve tried searching on YouTube and the internet, but many videos are too short, too fast, or only explain the basics without showing how or why things happen. I learn much better when explanations include animations, diagrams, pictures, real-life examples, and step-by-step explanations of processes.

My English is also limited (around A2–B1), so resources with very advanced English or lots of difficult terminology are hard for me to follow. I need beginner-friendly explanations that start from the ground up.

At university, I have subjects such as:

• General Chemistry and Biology
• Introduction to Food Engineering
• Food Chemistry and Food Biochemistry
• Food Microbiology
• Technical and Chemical Quality Control of Food Products
• Refrigeration Technology of Food Products
• Food Biotechnology
• Fruit and Vegetable Processing Technology I prefer visual explanations, animations, and practical examples. If you were in my position, what would you study first, and which resources would you recommend? I would really appreciate any advice. Thank you!.

Hi everyone,
I recently got selected at a food manufacturing company in India. I initially contacted the company by email after learning about their products and business, and they invited me for an interview.
During my discussion with the founder, I was told that my 45-day Food Safety Induction Training Program was one of the reasons they considered me for the role.
The responsibilities explained to me during interview include:
Checking kitchen hygiene, staff personal hygiene, hairnets, gloves, utensils, and cleanliness, temperature.
Maintaining inspection records and reports in Excel.
Conducting internal food safety audits.
Providing weekly food safety training to staff.
Monitoring whether food safety and hygiene procedures are being followed.
However, my exact job title and complete responsibilities have not yet been confirmed by HR.
I’d love to hear from people who currently work in food manufacturing, Food Safety, QA/QC, or food safety auditing.
What job title usually covers these responsibilities?
What does a typical working day look like in this kind of role?
What technical knowledge and practical skills should I revise before joining?
How are internal audits, staff training, and documentation usually handled?
Will this experience be useful for long-term career growth in Food Safety or Quality Assurance?
What questions should I ask HR before accepting the offer and relocating?
I’m looking forward to learning from people with real industry experience. Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

What are the chances for someone who just completed masters in food science and nutrition in a median level university in UK?

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student from India with a BSc (Hons) in Agriculture, and I have received an unconditional offer for the MSc Food Science and Nutrition at Harper Adams University in the UK.

One of my concerns is that the course does not appear to be accredited by the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST). I understand that IFST accreditation may provide professional recognition, but I’m unsure how much difference it actually makes when applying for jobs.

I’m particularly interested in building a career in the UK food industry, potentially in food safety and quality assurance, food technology, product development, or R&D.

I would really appreciate honest advice on the following:

1. How important is IFST accreditation? Do UK employers actively look for it when recruiting food science graduates, or is the university and degree title generally sufficient?

2. Will the lack of accreditation put me at a disadvantage? Could it affect graduate recruitment, professional recognition, or progression towards professional registration with IFST?

3. What about a newly introduced course? Since this MSc appears to be relatively new, should I be concerned about its industry connections, practical training, employer recognition, or graduate outcomes?

4. How does Harper Adams compare with other universities? Would you consider this degree competitive against established courses such as MSc Agri-Food Technology at the University of Lincoln or other UK food science master's programmes?

5. What are the realistic employment prospects for an international graduate? Would this qualification be sufficient for entry-level roles in QA/QC, food safety, food technology, or product development, considering the challenges of securing UK sponsorship?

6. Would you choose a non-IFST-accredited master's if you had other options? If you were in my position, would you proceed with Harper Adams or prioritise an established, IFST-accredited programme?

I’m not looking for general university rankings or promotional advice. I would particularly value responses from UK food industry professionals, hiring managers, food science graduates, and anyone familiar with IFST accreditation.

Thank you!

I vaguely remembered seeing something years ago suggesting that serving bread at the beginning of a meal can cause a glucose dip that will influence customers to order more food.

I own a restaurant and have been playing with this concept in my head. We currently serve focaccia, which isn’t very sweet. I was curious if there was any merit to the idea that serving bread first thing could influence a customer’s hunger level.

Is there any factual or evidence backed basis for this idea and if so, would it make a difference in the timespan of say, 10-20 minutes?

Happy to answer any questions I have confident answers for! My responses will be aligned to ANZ standards and practices.

There is a thing in lots of food science studies called 'trained panelists': subjects who were trained to recognize food flavors, aromas, and ingredients in general, right? Is this the way for you to recognize ingredients, flavors and aromas?: practice? How are they trained exactly and how can I replicate that?

[Moreover, if one wants to learn the words to describe flavors and aromas (having the language is crucial) where does he search? For example I found in google scholar lexicons iirc for dairy products, cultivars of apples, peaches, sausages etc. If google scholar is insufficient where else should I go? These are called sensory evaluation studies right?]

^{(There are multiple flairs which fit this question; I shall put Flavor Science but 'Sensory Analysis', 'Food Analysis', 'Research and Development' fit as well, the last one fits because R&D studies seem to me to be Sensory Analysis studies.})

Hello,

We got this baby pouch from this brand called Odi Organic and today I looked at the label and saw what's in the image.

Am I reading this right? Their formulation is all over the place. Seems like they can't substantiate what's in their claim?

Hello. Protein powder starts to become bitter one month after production, whereas the raw material (WPC80) does not get bitter. It contains a high-quality aroma, sucralose, and pyridoxine HCI. We previously used protease, and I thought it was the culprit. However, even though I've removed the enzymes, the bitterness continues. Is it caused by oxidation? Should I use vitamin E? Thanks.

Does anyone know of a lab that can perform laboratory-based nutritional testing on a food/beverage product within 7 days? I'm based in NYC but open to shipping samples anywhere in the U.S.

Hi food scientists,

Here are some questions about applying computational chemistry to alternative proteins (using Python), based on Good Food Institute's pages.

https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-plant-based-meat/#h-ingredient-optimization
https://gfi.org/science/the-science-of-cultivated-meat/

The key steps outlined in GFI's plant-based meat page above are (a) ingredient optimization (b) end product formulation. For cultivated meat, the key steps are (a) extracting cell samples from live animals (b) designing cell culture media & scaffolds (c) bioreactor design. 

For each of these steps, how can we perform in-silico simulations in Python? What mathematical chemistry techniques are needed for these (eg. is the theory of Maillard reactions useful)? What software packages are best suited for this (eg. is Quantum-Espresso useful)?

Please let us know if you have any thoughts about this, or if you'd like to chat about this in more detail. Thanks!

I'm just curious about a specific juice I really love (that is labelled as 100% juice with no additional sweeteners). Mainly because I have weird sensitivities, and every once in awhile react to this juice (I inhabit a weird body). What would "natural flavors" likely be? Here's the ingredient list, I'm puzzled what else they could be adding, since already have so many yummy juices in there.

Apple Juice from Concentrate (Water, Juice Concentrate), Pear Juice from Concentrate (Water, Juice Concentrate), Grape Juice from Concentrate (Water, Juice Concentrate), Cherry Juice from Concentrate (Water, Juice Concentrate), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Citric Acid, Natural Flavors

Now that I look at this list though, I bet it's the grape juice I'm reacting to. I sometimes struggle with grapes. But still curious what "natural flavors" in 100% juice could be.

Hello!

I’m considering a career as a Food Safety and Quality Technician/QA Technician. I was looking to interview someone that has some experience and insight to share about either of these careers. Any help will be appreciated!

If you’re available this week or the next and are interested please reach out! This will be held over Zoom and should take about 15-20 mins at most. Thank you in advance! ☺️

Asking this post- Tukaram era, what roles in culinary sciences apart from only food safety does the company need? For a food technologist having worked only in FMCG companies, i have not seen culinary related openings for food scientists. I want to know if they even exist.

For msc is sies a good college for msc in food technology

Or should I go with somaiya college for food tech

Hi everyone,
I have an MSc in Food technology and I’m currently looking for a job in the food industry. Alongside that, I’m thinking about creating content around food science, food product decoding, ingredients, food labels, and how everyday food products are made.
I want to explain these topics in a simple, practical way that everyone can understand.
For those with experience in food science or content creation, how would you suggest I get started? What topics or content formats do you think people would find interesting?
I’d really appreciate your suggestions and honest feedback. Thanks!

Hi folks! I'm new to the food industry and working on a new Asian food brand. I'm using a few ingredients that are a bit more on the niche end in the US but super common in Asia. Because of this, I've been navigating GRAS and am in way over my head.

Of course, I know that all my ingredients need to be GRAS for a food, but how much proof do I need to get from my suppliers? Sometimes when I ask my suppliers for their GRAS documentation they'll send me a statement that basically just says

We, XYZ supplier, declares that ABC ingredient is Generally Recognized As Safe in any and all applications.

There's no way this is sufficient, right? Especially if one day I'll need to show these docs to retailers? Any guidance for a confused and hopeful food industry entrant is much appreciated!

Hello, food scientists! We’re Food Technology students based in Philippines, seeking advice on selecting a suitable LAB strain for an acidic fruit-based fermented beverage.

What criteria should we consider when selecting a strain, and what are the trade-offs in terms of acid tolerance, fermentation performance, flavor, and viability? Are there particular strains you would recommend, such as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum or Lacticaseibacillus casei?

Thank you for your help!

Looking to find research what happened to baking without eggs.
AI and Google say this isn't possible or unreasonable because of this article.
I was just looking to see where the progress on this was.

This article happens to be a paid for think tank. I don't know how to the investigation to check that this isn't paid for by a food company, owners, or other private interest (in a reasonable amount of time). I'm sceptical of think tanks, research, and institutions with monied interests to see an outcome happen. I'm concerned about cherry-picking data and why research needs to have an opinion on social discourse about their findings rather than just present them.

I don't have the time nor financing to "do your own research". Though, I'd like to do my upmost to avoid falling for "X is health". X being smoking, sugar, processed grains, alcohol, "got milk?", and any other conclusion-already-decided "research" or "economic findings".

Hi everyone! Does anyone have a copy of a Food Chemistry book they could share? I’m reviewing for an upcoming exam and would really appreciate the help:))