Food science is a discipline concerned with all aspects of food - beginning after harvesting, and ending with consumption by the consumer. It is often considered one of the agricultural sciences, and it is a field which is entirely distinct from the field of nutrition. Examples of the activities of food scientists include the development of new food products (such as Pop-Tarts), design of processes to produce these foods, choice of packaging materials, shelf-life studies, sensory evaluation of the product with potential consumers, and microbiological testing. Food scientists in universities may study more fundamental phenomena that are directly linked to the production of a particular food product.

Food scientists are generally not directly involved with the creation of genetically modified (bio-engineered) foods.

Some main areas of food science:

• Food safety
• Food engineering
• Food chemistry
• Product development
• Sensory analysis