Scotland may not boast the title of Good Food Nation in its trophy cabinet just yet but we’re certainly a contender.
As well as shouting about the quality of our homegrown larder here and abroad, politicians are keen to build on the pride we feel in Scotland’s produce.
That means promoting seafood, meat, chocolate, whisky, gin and craft beers, berries and biscuits so that it continues to be the toast of Scotland’s economy.
The quality of our foodstuffs may begin with producers but there is an army of professionals in the food and drink manufacturing sector who take pride in ensuring it continues right the way through the production process.
Food technologists are involved in every stage, from developing foods to improving their storage life and safety.
Frequent vacancies in the sector on s1jobs cover the areas of quality assurance, technical, and research and development.
A technical manager always has to have safety, quality, legality and hygiene uppermost in their mind.
That makes for a varied working day overseeing machinery, working practices and animal welfare standards.
A food technologist – while not able to indulge in the delights of everlasting gobstoppers and lickable wallpaper (copyright Mr W. Wonka) – does have opportunities to be more creative, developing recipes and food concepts. Technologists also modify foods to make them fat-free or low-salt and that means working with nutritionists and product development teams to help deliver factory-ready recipes.
Some technologists may also be involved in designing the processes and machinery for making products in large quantities with a consistent flavour, colour and texture.
Working closely with suppliers is an important part of the job as technologists need to ensure the products are grown or farmed ethically.
And as sustainability becomes an increasingly important aspect, manufacturers are putting a greater emphasis on green issues such as carbon footprint, packaging and waste.
There are routes into a food technology career for both graduates and school leavers. Scotland’s universities and colleges have long recognised the growing demand for graduates in food science and technology and offer a range of qualifications from food science and nutrition, to food security and food bioscience.
Salaries can start at around £18,000, rising upwards of £35,000 for more senior management roles. For non-graduates there may be opportunities to move up the career ladder after starting out as a food operative or technician.
If Scotland’s food and drink sector continues to increase at its expected rate – with annual turnover in 2017 set to be £16.5 billion – the appetite for food technology jobs can only grow.