Food Engineering

Made for you if you’re a foodie at heart and want to reinvent how we produce, package, and preserve what we eat.

Did you know

$118,074
Average salary

(Genium360, Remuneration of engineering professionals in Quebec – Investigation report 2025-2026)
4 years
Duration of the bachelor’s degree in food engineering
78%
That’s the amount of nitrogen in the air inside chips bags.
Exploding chips in space
When NASA brought chips into space, the bags exploded! Without protective air inside, the pressure difference caused the packaging to burst. An unexpected example that shows just how serious—and fascinating—the science behind food really is.
From small-scale to industrial-scale
Recipes, industrial processes, packaging—food engineering covers the entire chain.
Ice cream that doesn’t melt in the sun?
That’s food engineering! And so are many of the most surprising innovations in the food industry.

What you will actually do

As a food engineer, you’ll develop and optimize the processes that transform raw materials into safe, high-quality food products.

Conduct research to develop food processes or improve reactions and ingredients.
Take part in research, testing, and development of new products or industrial processes.
Design and test food processing facilities and equipment.
Develop and lead quality control programs and optimization strategies to ensure compliance with standards.

Source: REPÈRES, the official school and career information website (in French)

Where do you see yourself?

Food engineers work both in laboratories and in processing plants.

Consulting engineering firms
Manufacturing companies
Commercial and service industries
Food and beverage industry
Testing and analytical laboratory services

Where to study

Universities offering the program

Université Laval

A SCIENCE YOU CAN EAT

Probes to monitor food quality in real time

A Quebec-based company, Bliq Photonique, developed probes that allow producers to monitor production in real time. The result: shorter delays, increased yields, and greater control over quality.

Of jobs in Quebec are in the agri-food sector

LESS PLASTIC, SAME FRESHNESS

Recyclable packaging film that reduces environmental impact

Food engineers developed a recyclable polyethylene film to replace traditional food packaging. A concrete example of how engineering meets both preservation requirements and environmental challenges.

Read the article about polyethylene film

Play Mission Génie to discover the type of engineering that suits you!

An interactive game to explore the different types of engineering and find the one that best matches your interests and talents.

Start the game