Job Description
Company Description Job Description SUMMARY OF POSITION Food Scientist position will support R&D projects related to new product development, existing product quality improvement initiatives, equipment validations, sensory, shelf life and regulatory support.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES - Utilize food science, food engineering and food safety principles to provide technical solutions related to pistachio, almonds, and all other food products where nuts could be used as an ingredient.
- Use ingredient functionality knowledge to maintain and enhance existing product quality and to develop new products with pistachios and almonds. Identify and resolve technical and food safety challenges that arise during process feasibility trials to commercialize such initiatives. Evaluate optimal specifications for existing products and develop product specifications for all new products.
- Assess technical feasibility of all relevant new technologies, including but not limited to dry roasting, oil roasting, pasteurization, seasoning and packaging applications. Continually monitor competitive landscape and identify technological hurdles and solutions. Replicate existing unit operations for new and existing processes into pilot plant scale equipment to drive product testing and innovation.
- Conduct validation testing to determine critical control parameters and ensure appropriate log kill and food safety compliance of all new and existing processing equipment. Select relevant test surrogates and use design of experiment principles to identify key processing parameters and optimal setting for these parameters.
- Ensure WPA products meet all domestic and international regulatory requirement, create and maintain a nutrition database library for all products, create and maintain accurate nutrition facts panels, ingredient statements and allergen, kosher, halal and non gmo declarations. Check accuracy of all WPA packaging and marketing materials to ensure they meet regulatory compliance.
- Use sensory science principles to audit manufactured product quality and assess competitor products. Designing, executing, analyzing, and reporting results and recommendations (descriptive analysis, discrimination testing, and consumer research).
- Data driven shelf-life testing of all new and existing products to confirm shelf-life validity to use on pack. Study correlation of organoleptic properties in nuts to their lipid rancidity as well as to the packaging film substrates and their OTR and WVTR. Evaluate requests for shelf-life extensions and determine potential solutions to extend nuts shelf life in general.
- Maintain accurate project files, project summaries and reports, product specifications, and project data.
- Responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment by adhering to established safety, health, and wellness practices.
- Ability to think creatively, deal with ambiguity, and manage changing priorities.
- Willingness to get hands on and provide customer service.
- Build successful relationships across many levels in the organization supporting improvement efforts.
- Must possess strong interpersonal and communication skills to work collaboratively with marketing and sales team members.
Background: - BS or MS degree in related field such as Food Science/Food Engineering/Chemical Engineering/Nutrition preferred.
- 0-5 years' experience.
Pay Range: $73,000 - $89,000 yr. and may include a discretionary bonus. Final compensation will be dependent upon skills and experience.
Qualifications - BS or MS degree in related field such as Food Science/Food Engineering/Chemical Engineering/Nutrition preferred.
- 0-5 years' experience.
Additional Information Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is the world's largest vertically integrated pistachio and almond grower and processor. Located in California's fertile San Joaquin Valley, our operation delivers more than 450 million pounds of nuts globally each year. Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds supplies both industrial and retail customers, offering high-quality, consistent supply and adherence to rigorous food safety standards. Our nuts can be found in stores nationwide under the flagship retail brands of Wonderful Pistachios and Wonderful Almonds. Please learn more at
Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is part of The Wonderful Company, a privately held $4.8 billion company, which also has other No. 1 brands such as Wonderful Halos, FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, JUSTIN Wine, and Teleflora. To learn more about The Wonderful Company, visit
Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds is an Equal Opportunity Employer and with opportunities for advancement. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories.
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