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Food Industry Careers

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Q&A: What careers are available in the Food Industry?

Question: I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Foods with a Minor in Business.  My university had two concentrations within the Nutrition department: Dietetics and Food Systems Management.  I studied the latter, hence my minor in business.  I am a little lost in what a graduate could do with my specific major and minor?  Since I do not have the dietetics degree, it's difficult to find a nutrition related job that I am qualified for or have enough experience for.  What are some good entry-level careers for a graduate with my major/minor?  Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:

Our recommendation is to explore two career options: 

One is food product sales.  There are literally hundreds of companies to explore - Frito Lay, Coca Cola, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Kellogg's, for instance. This is a great choice if you have an interest and aptitude for sales.  Another would be to explore companies which provide outsourced cafeteria or food service management.  Most companies which have cafeterias outsource the operation to companies or hotels.  Again, you could focus either on account development/management (sales), or operations management. We did a quick Google search of "Cafeteria Management Companies" and found scores of them.   Senior Assisted Living Facilities and universities are good resources to check out too.

Food systems management is essentially the management of food operations like cafeterias, fast food, chain and conventional restaurants, and any other entity that provides meals. It could also be consulting companies like Technomic that provide food systems improvement services (an MBA would be helpful in those instances.)  We are sure Morrison's, Aramark, Sodexho and Bon Appetit which are some of the heavyweights in the cafeteria management world would good places to start.  

The August 22. 2007 Business Week did an article on the most innovative corporate cafeterias (older article but we suspect it is still relevant.)

As is the case with any job seeker, you are going to have to dig down deep and really hustle opportunities, then build a resume which makes a compelling case why they should interview you for the job.

If you haven't already, join the professional organization related to food systems management, dietetics and nutrition. For job opportunities, industry contacts and information connect with your school's alumni association.

Also, join Linkedin and search for professional groups related to your major/minor. Linkedin is a great tool. You can read what is trending, what is being discussed among professionals, and available jobs. We did a quick search and found the following Linkedin groups: Food Industry Careers, Association of Food and Beverage Management, Women in Food Industry Management Association and there are many more.

Good luck!

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