Food science is a decidedly unglamorous profession, to the point of almost total invisibility and this lack of appeal to undergraduates is shaping up as a problem in the making for Australian food manufacturing companies.
There has been no sudden growth in demand nor has there been a slow period in the industry, which might have discouraged high school leavers from taking food science courses. Indeed, demand has grown generally in line with economic growth, but right at the very root of the problem is less students doing science at both HSC level and university. This is partly because there’s a shortage of science teachers in schools, but also because interest in the study of science is declining all over the Western world.
According to a report by the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST), Education Providers Working Group undergraduate enrolments in food science and technology peaked in 2006 and then declined from 2006 to 2007 and from 2006 and 2008, by 8 percent and 10 percent respectively. The proportion of international students, from nine universities providing data, increased from 28 percent in 2004 to 37 percent in 2007.
Food science is only a high profile profession when something goes wrong and it’s not a logical progression for someone doing HSC science to go on to do food science as an undergraduate. "A lot of people who are doing science for HSC or at university just don’t realise that food science offers a career," says University of NSW food science lecturer, Janet Paterson.
One major reason for this is food manufacturers are noticeable by their absence at both high school and university career expos; scholarships and cadetships are few and far between and food science is definitely not seen as very ‘sexy’, Paterson adds.
"The pure sciences don’t see it as focused enough – because you know about more than one thing – and it’s much sexier to work in genetics or pharmacology. But food is very complex because the chemistry is very involved, there are microbial issues and the stuff needs to be fit to eat when you’re finished with it."
In addition, when people do think of food science, scares like Mad Cow Disease (BSE), Salmonella, E. coli and Genetically Modified crops spring to mind. Plus, a growing backlash among consumers against over-processed foods, laced with large numbers of additives, means going into the food industry is seen as unattractive to many graduates.
Also, although the annual AIFST salary survey shows that remuneration is improving, salaries in other areas of science such as pharmaceuticals, not to mention business, IT, marketing, law etc. tend to be much higher.
There is an upside, however, in that food scientist jobs tend to be fairly recession proof, says Paterson. "The food industry is a big industry and it doesn’t suffer as much as other industries during downturns because people still have to eat even if they don’t need a new car or pair of shoes."
Some universities have been seeking to make food science more attractive by broadening the course to include other aspects of the food industry, such as marketing and nutrition.
While this may halt the decline in graduates entering the profession, it has an impact on the practical skill levels of graduates, says Science People principal, Diana Neery.
And it is the lack of practical skill that is the real issue, according to Neery. "There are plenty of graduates coming through the various universities, the problem is they’re graduates who can’t spell, use grammar properly or write a report. Employers want these skills because lab managers don’t want to have to rewrite reports that graduates have done."
Neery also believes that universities have reduced the emphasis on practical training, which is having an impact on the job readiness of graduates. "Many schools have dropped back the amount of practical work being done, on the grounds that it costs too much and they’re strapped for cash.
"But really, there’s also a lack of basic lab skills and companies don’t have the time, money or inclination to train graduates in those skills. Skills like can seam testing, which requires nothing more than a hacksaw and a micrometre and making up plates of media for culturing microbes, are no longer being taught in many university courses. In some cases graduates are actually doing TAFE courses to get those skills."
Appointments Group owner, Andrew Preston, also doesn’t agree there is a skills shortage in the food industry. "I think it’s a debatable point. There’s an expectation among employers that people be far more job ready as graduates than they were in the past because companies have less inclination to train people up themselves and that creates a perception there’s a shortage of job ready applicants.
"The same applies with more experienced people. Most of our customers are looking for people with quite precise specifications, because they don’t have the time or the inclination to give people the training they did in the past. So to a degree, I think the perception of a shortage is coloured by people’s changed expectations."
"The colleges and universities are closing down courses because there is less demand for food technologists because food technology is not a terribly well paid profession and there are lots more glamorous opportunities out there in the marketplace. There has been a fair influx of foreign born food technicians, which have taken up the slack to some degree and I think the perception that there’s a shortage stems partly from the number of people from overseas that need training before they’re fully suitable for the Australian market."
Although in the past both Victoria and Queensland have put large amounts of money into the area to attract food manufacturing facilities, the skills shortage, if there is one, doesn’t seem to be on the radar of state or federal governments.
The situation is not all doom and gloom, however, Unlike the United Kingdom, which struggles to fill one in four of all food scientist vacancies – despite liberally dispensing working visas – Australian food manufacturers at the moment are still able to get the staff they need.