It’s a question job seekers rarely ask themselves while munching on tasty morsels of processed food. Surely, if the food — be it potato wafers or paneer masala — tastes so good, there must be people out there who are sweating it out to ensure that packaged fare gets its pride of place on dining tables and are getting paid generously for their efforts?

The answer to both questions, regardless of the curiosity they generate, is yes. The processed food industry is a place which has plenty of room for youngsters to kick-start a bright career. And the right way to get there is to pursue a course in what is now a rapidly booming field of study — food technology.

For starters, the food processing industry focuses on basic edible foods, such as cereals, dairy and meat products, and converts them to forms that can be packaged for sale off a shelf. “The technology required for the industry is now in place and the modern urban lifestyle has also increased the demand for packaged food in the recent past,” says Usha Albuquerque, director of Delhi-based counsellors Careersmart. “With the food sector now growing and bigger companies getting into the business, career prospects in food technology will only grow in future,” she adds.

The food technology curriculum deals with the nitty-gritty of the processed food industry. Among the first institutes to offer courses in food technology were Jadavpur University (JU) and the Centre for Food Technology and Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, though others such as the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Anna University and certain colleges of Delhi University subsequently joined the fray.

Of the lot, CFTRI remains the most sought-after place. “We offer a two-year MSc course in food technology,” says M.C. Varadaraj, head of human resource development, CFTRI. “The course begins every August, while the admission notice is issued in April.”

Other institutes, such as JU have a three-year BTech and a two-year MTech in food technology and biochemical engineering. Candidates are required to have a BSc with honours in chemistry for the BTech course, while those opting for an MTech need to clear the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). The fees in most of these institutes correspond with the fees determined by their respective affiliated universities.

Once out of college, candidates are free to chalk out their own career plans. Several multinational food processing companies prefer to have qualified food technologists working for them. “We also sometimes recruit general science graduates, but they need to have at least three to five years’ experience,” says Anup Banerjee, business development manager, Parle Products.

Processing and production are the largest sectors that candidates can choose to work in. “On the other hand, there are streams such as marine food or sugar or wheat-based food that one can specialise in,” says Albuquerque. “Better still, there is always the option of topping off one’s education with an MBA and getting into marketing or management,” she adds.

And then, some institutes go that extra distance to ensure that their students have an edge when it comes to finding jobs.

“In October 2006, we conducted a workshop dealing with issues, including the ISO 22000 food safety norms, for the benefit of our third year students,” says S. Lakshmi Devi, principal of Shaheed Gururaj College of Applied Sciences for Women, Delhi. “Such workshops give students extra leverage in their careers,” she adds.

Placements in the industry are good. “Since our degree is rather varied and encompasses both food technology and biochemical engineering, our students have a wide range of options,” says Lalitagauri Ray, head of the department at JU. “Over the recent past, we have had 100 per cent placements. Several companies, including Britannia, Pepsi and United Breweries, have our alumni working for them,” she adds.

Shilpa Agrawal, an assistant manager at Coke and a food technology graduate, explains why food technologists stand to strike gold in the market. “Food technology is a specialised course with plenty of hands-on training that prepares candidates in an industry-friendly manner,” she observes.

And the salaries aren’t bad either. While many food technologists find themselves jobs starting at Rs 12,000 to 15,000, some lucky ones land better-paying jobs at big multinational companies. “In the past, Smithkline Beecham paid our students to the tune of Rs 4-5 lakh a year,” says Varadaraj.

And all this, for producing a packet of glorious food.