Careers Surrounding the Growing Field of Foods and Nutrition

Aubreyann Veyveris and Jessica Salgado Nutrition 301 March 6, 2013

Introduction Nutrition is an extremely critical aspect of human life. In order for survival food is crucial to provide fuel and energy to the body, nevertheless, nutrition is often overlooked. With the recent increase in concern with how food selection affects health, nutrition has become a more popular field to enter and pursue a career in. Many people are under the assumption that with a degree in nutrition, the only option is to work in a clinical setting in which one works in some sort of health care facility planning and developing meal plans to adequately meet the nutritional requirements of their patients. In reality, nutrition is a very broad field that is widening every day with new and unique job opportunities. Having a degree in nutrition and becoming a registered dietitian now provides the skills to acquire a nutrition related job in multiple avenues such as restaurants, food management, food science, research and education, and government positions. Career 1: Registered Dietitian for a Contract Food Service Client With two thirds of the population being overweight it comes as no shock that the nation as a whole has taken a concern with nutrition. The population has become more concerned with eating healthy and therefore wants nutritious options more readily available when they are consuming food outside of their own home (1). Many companies who provide some type of food service in their organization are now hiring registered dietitians to help develop more nutritious products in order to satisfy their client or customers preferences. Restaurant Management Search, a middle man agency that helps companies find qualified candidates, is hiring a registered dietitian, for a contract food service client. A contract food service organization is an organization in which food service is provided but not, however, the main purpose, such as a museum or an airline. This full time position would be located in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the salary would be $55,000 to $60,000 a year depending on previous experience plus benefits (health insurance, 401K, paid vacation time) and a bonus opportunity (2). This position requires proof of certification of registered dietitian and previous experience in institutional food service. Tasks and duties of this job include staying up to date on any new nutritional information by means of continuous education, staying involved in the nutrition scholarly community to have the means to answer any questions, working with directors to establish an effective yet efficient nutritious meal plan, monitoring all meals being prepared, educating clients and fellow employees on how to prepare more nutritious foods, establishing plans and goals for clients and monitoring and evaluating to make sure goals are met, and lastly, being a team player who collaborates with others effectively to provide the best customer service to clients. Applicant must be skilled in written communication, have previous nutrition training experience, superb presentation abilities and must be skilled in organization and multi-tasking (2). Career 2: Food and Nutrition Professor One of the best defenses against obesity in this country is providing proper education and schooling on how to make better choices when it comes to meal selection. In fact, providing nutritional education programs to children helps to meet the Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing overweight and obesity among children and adolescents (3). However, these nutrition education programs could not be possible without someone to teach them. Professors at universities and college campuses have the imperative responsibilities of teaching and educating students so that they can acquire and possess the proper skills needed to go on and teach these nutrition education programs to the community.

Maricopa Community College in Mesa, Arizona is hiring an individual to teach Food and Nutrition courses to students. This would be a full time position with a salary of $ 2,358.97 $2,769.23 (Bi-weekly), depending upon experience, with benefits including health insurance, a retirement plan, life insurance, and paid time off. The applicant must have a masters degree or higher in nutrition or be a certified registered dietitian or be a registered dietetic technician and must have completed or complete a teaching and learning in a community college setting class within 2 years of hire. It is desired that the applicant have a PhD in Nutrition Science or a related field, and have at least 3 years previous teaching experience. Tasks and duties of this position include providing exceptional teaching skills and practices to a variety of students, being able to successfully create and implement course curriculum and material, engaging students in relative discussions and providing multiple techniques to assist in learning processes, monitoring students learning with appropriate examinations and grading, collaborating effectively with fellow faculty members, and continuing own education by keeping up to date on current trends and topics by attending seminars, meetings, conferences, and workshops (4). Career 3: Food Scientist The expansion of the biotechnology and food engineering in the food industry has lead to a high demand for food scientists. A food scientist is someone that works for food industries and focuses primarily in areas such as food processing. They are responsible for coming up with methods used for freezing, packaging, and the other stages that food products go through before it reaches consumers (5). Many food scientists work in the research and development departments, where they create synthetic foods or food prototypes by using various chemicals and substances that closely mimic nutritional value and taste of regular food products. The duties

of a food scientist will depend on the particular position he or she holds, but can include determining food content, quality assurance, education, inspection, and development (5). Currently the Blue Diamond Growers Company has been seeking a full-time food scientist to manage and develop new almond products in their research and development department in the Sacramento area in California. The job requires at least a Bachelors degree in food science, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, engineering and some corporations may require a Masters degree from their prospects (6). It also requires two years of experience in food and beverage development and experience in partnering with business teams to develop food and beverage products. Food scientists must have the capability to understand the needs of the average consumer, and many of them have to know what the average consumer is looking for in a food product in order to create it. The average salary for a food scientist is around $50,000 annually, however, those who work for large corporations can earn as much as $90,000 or more. According to their website, Blue Diamond Growers Co. offers competitive and comprehensive benefits, including 401(k) plan, health and welfare benefits, educational assistance, and paid vacation and holidays (6). This job holds some very good prospects for future career development, as there is always lots of room for progress in the food science industry, especially given todays modern trends in scientific innovation. The majority of food scientists with a long working history can usually earn very high salaries and have reported high job satisfaction (7). Career 4: Consumer Safety Inspector A consumer safety inspector (CSI) works for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and works within one or more privately owned meat, poultry, and egg processing plants and complies with food regulations (8). Recently a job opening for a full-time consumer safety inspector has opened up in Queen, New York; a position in the Food Safety and

Inspection Services agency. Some of the duties of consumer safety inspectors are to ensure that all processing plant are functioning according to a HACCP plan, cleanliness, and processing policies (8). In addition, they also oversee regulatory activities inside the plants in matters relating to other areas of consumer protection by ensuring that commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products are safe to eat and are not misbranded or adulterated (9). The qualifications that are required to obtain this job are at least one specialized work experience in a related field of food inspection or a Bachelors degree in agriculture, physical science, food technology or related studies such as food science or foods and nutrition. According to the job posting this position offers a salary between $35,309 to $56,863 annually, but according to Beth Seltzer in 2008, most consumer safety inspectors earned an average of $49,000 and can earn between $25,000 and $60,000 annually (10). This job offers benefits that are offered to all individuals working for the federal government, which includes paid vacation and holidays, life insurance, and a federal employee retirement plan. The outlook in this career seems promising since food processing plants are integrated in all food industries and someone must ensure and regulate that commercial meat, poultry, or eggs are wholesome and safe to consume for the public. Aubreyanns Personal Career Plan/ Goals Growing up I never planned to work in the field of nutrition; in fact, I had no idea being a dietitian was a job title. I think I just assumed doctors were the ones giving all the advice and counseling on how to eat healthy. When I started college my plan was to become a nurse, however, taking one nutrition class for one of my GEs changed all that. I found all the material covered extremely interesting and so relatable to my own life. I began to look forward to going

to class and learning as much as I could about nutrition. After I finished this class I realized I no longer wanted to be a nurse but instead a dietitian. I learned about the DPD program and becoming a registered dietitian in my first prerequisite classes in nutrition at San Diego State. Prior to those classes I never knew there were so many levels to being a nutritionist. I decided right away that I definitely wanted to enter into the DPD program and do an internship and become a registered dietitian rather than just a degreed nutritionist. As I take all of my upper division nutrition classes and learn that there are more job opportunities for dietitians than just working in a hospital and as I research all the other job opportunities it makes me realize that this is such an amazing major that allows you to really find a job for yourself once you graduate that plays to your strengths and makes you happy. I always tell all my friends and family how all the RDs I meet always are so friendly and warm and have such a passion for what they do every day and I love that. As I think about what my strengths and passions are I definitely cannot see myself working in a clinical setting. I enjoy planning and organizing and assembling materials for projects and such and so I can see myself in more of a managerial role in the community in nutrition. I think it would be fun to work for a type of wellness program that goes out to different employers and tries to get their employees to start eating healthier and exercising more. I think I would enjoy sitting down with companies and people and helping them make a plan for eating better and more nutritiously. Going out every day and actually talking to people face to face sounds so much more desirable than sitting at a desk all day. Getting the word out about eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle seems so crucial to me right now especially with twothirds of our population being overweight. Being a part of an organization that goes out to corporations that may not have anything to do with health and teach and coach employees on

how to change their lives seems so rewarding. Ive always liked working in teams and working together with others in order to solve problems and I feel working in a community setting like this will give me the opportunity to do just that. With that being said, after I complete my internship and take the exam and become an RD my goal is to find a job like the one I described above, however, I also know that anything can change from here on out and while I am completing my internship I may realize I actually might want to work in food service or in research. Whatever I decide I know that I will be happy and just as passionate as all of the other RDs that I have met because a career in nutrition is so rewarding and beneficial not just for yourself but for the community as a whole. Jessicas Personal Career Plans/ Goals Though I would not mind having a career as the ones Ive mentioned, as a future clinical registered dietitian one of my main career goals is to help people maintain a healthier lifestyle and improve nutritional health. Specially, I would love to focus my career on child and maternal nutrition in lower income communities. With the current increase of obesity in the United States and around the world directly connected with lower socio-economic status, I am certain that one of the best ways to battle this epidemic is to target the families as a whole. I truly believe that healthy lifestyle choices start at the home when one is young. Without the direction of educated family members on nutrition and health, it is difficult for our children to learn proper food and nutrition education. By educating future and current mothers, I hope to encourage not only healthier lifestyle choices, but also happier and more united families. I believe that food and nutrition education needs to be put in action from infancy to adulthood. From breast milk to their first meal, healthy eating habits need to be established and taught to nourish our children and families appropriately. I hope to have an effect on the dietetic

world in this way, by educating the family unit and showing them how easy and fulfilling healthy nutrition can be. Some of my short-term goals consist of graduating for San Diego State University with a Bachelors in Food and Nutrition by May 2014, completing my dietetic internship, and passing the RD exam. Another goal is to build up enough clinical practice experience and education credits to be able to take the IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) exam and become both a dietitian and a Lactation Consultant. In addition, I plan to improve my knowledge as a family dietitian, focusing primarily on child and maternal nutrition. I want to expand in this area so that I can one day reach one of my main long-term goals, which is to provide nutrition guidance for new mothers and growing children. Conclusion Subsequently, the evolving field of nutrition has multiple opportunities and possibilities in different types of careers. This area of study is broad and flexible because of its interdisciplinary sciences that surround the knowledge of nutrition. Many careers involving this field do not only include becoming a registered dietitian but also include food scientists, nutrition professors, health inspectors or even restaurant managers. The overall future for this field of study is growing and progressing as modern technology and research continues to change.

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