Your day-to-day duties may include:

• researching and writing reports
• testing recipes
• recruiting and training panels or focus groups
• conducting interviews with consumers
• researching the tastes, needs and preferences of consumers
• giving advice to manufacturers and retailers on improving items and services
• developing tests to make sure products meet quality standards and legal requirements
• representing consumers' rights
• advising hotels, restaurants, schools, residential care homes or hospitals on catering
• advising on products ranging from household goods to public places
• producing information on cookery, family health and new products
• talking with the media
• advising on healthy living in schools, colleges and universities
• working for bodies like the Food Standards Agency or Trading Standards

You could work in a laboratory, at a university or in an office.

With experience you could progress into a management post.

With training you could use your experience to move into a career in teaching.