Food Scientist

MyForest Foods; Town of Green Island (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Food Scientist to drive product development and packaging innovation. This role focuses on enhancing food performance, optimizing processes, and ensuring compliance with regulations. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food science and product development, with a passion for sustainability and creativity. Join a team dedicated to revolutionizing the food industry with sustainable solutions that benefit both people and the planet. If you're a motivated foodie ready to make an impact, this opportunity is for you!

Qualifications

• 3+ years in food product development with market success.
• Expertise in structural packaging development and material selection.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research to enhance product performance and cost-efficiency.
• Lead product optimization and scale-up efforts.
• Collaborate with teams to translate consumer insights into new products.

Skills

Food Product Development

Packaging Design

Project Management

Analytical Techniques

Sensory Evaluation

Communication Skills

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science

Master’s degree in Food Science

Tools

Data Capture Technology

Product Lifecycle Management Software

Job description

It’s the root structure of mushrooms, growing juuuuust beneath the forest floor.

We believe mycelium is the forests’ best-kept secret. With a naturally savory umami flavor and a wonderfully meaty texture, mycelium is a delicious, naturally sustainable option for people seeking a meat alternative. At MyForest Foods, we grow this gourmet mushroom mycelium inside our vertical farm in big, WHOLE pieces that can be sliced up just like traditional cuts of meat. Our first product, MyBacon is winning the hearts of vegans and carnivores alike—and we're just getting started!

Intrigued? If you’re a motivated, inspired, passionate foodie with a drive to revolutionize the future of food, we should definitely talk.

At MyFOREST Foods, we're on a mission to create sustainable and delicious food products that are good for people and the planet.

A Food Scientist at MyForest Foods is a creative and technically driven product development expert responsible for driving innovation, scale-up, and continuous improvement of MyForest’s product portfolio. This role leads cross-functional initiatives across R&D, Operations, Quality, and Marketing, with a focus on formulation development, process optimization, cost savings, and packaging innovation—particularly in structural packaging design for plant-based foods.

Role Responsibilities

• Conduct research to enhance product performance, shelf-life, sensory quality, and cost-efficiency, including studies involving formulation, process, packaging, and quality variables.
• Lead product optimization and scale-up efforts, including definition and refinement of processing methods and structural packaging formats.
• Collaborate with marketing and business teams to translate consumer insights into new product concepts and pilot-scale production runs.
• Evaluate and recommend ingredient, processing, and packaging changes to support commercialization, regulatory compliance, and consumer safety.
• Design and execute experiments to understand ingredient functionality and interactions, including sensory, nutritional, and stability outcomes.
• Lead packaging-related innovation efforts with a strong emphasis on structural packaging science, evaluating material compatibility, product protection, barrier properties, and environmental footprint.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Operations to identify and specify equipment needed for product scale-up, including influence on line layout and throughput requirements.
• Work with the Quality and Regulatory teams to ensure compliance with FDA guidelines, including GMPs, HACCP, and Food Safety Plans.
• Stay current on developments in plant-based ingredient technologies and emerging packaging solutions, and communicate findings to senior leadership.
• Maintain detailed technical documentation and present research findings and recommendations in a clear, actionable format.

Minimum Qualifications and Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline required; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in food product development, with demonstrated success in taking products from concept to market.
• Proven experience with packaging design, including structural packaging development, material selection, barrier optimization, and machinability for both primary and secondary packaging.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing, especially within the plant-based meat or analog space.
• Hands-on experience in product scale-up and commercialization, including line trials, co-manufacturing coordination, and specification development.
• Familiarity with shelf-life modeling and food packaging interactions.
• Strong project management and business acumen; ability to balance speed-to-market with technical and regulatory rigor.
• Applied knowledge of analytical and sensory evaluation techniques.
• Exceptional communication skills (written and verbal), able to translate complex technical content into business-relevant insights.
• Comfortable working in cross-functional teams and mentoring or supervising technical staff.
• Self-starter with a proactive and safety-first mindset.
• Proficiency in technology platforms for data capture, formulation, and product lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of FDA food regulations, GMPs, HACCP, and preventive control strategies.

Certifications / Licenses

• Valid Food Handler Certification required; additional certifications in HACCP or Preventive Controls for Human Food preferred.

The pay range for this role based on skills and experience is $80,000 - $110,000 annually.

Excited? So are we!

MyFOREST Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

If you’re inspired by the potential of mycelium and the promise of a well-fed future, join us! Our team is always seeking passionate problem-solvers and forward-thinking foodies.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone *

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Education

School Select...

Degree Select...

Select...

How did you hear about MyFOREST Foods and this position? Select...