Food Science and Technology deals with studying food compositions as well as looking for ways to refine them. Food science examines everything that can happen to food between harvest and consumption. Food technology is used to develop and manage the processes by which food is transformed from raw harvest to edible goods purchased by individual consumers. Almost all foods are modified before consumption.

Food science and technology draw on chemistry, microbiology, engineering, physiology, toxicology, nutrition, dietetics, economics, marketing, and law; therefore, food science and food technology are inherently interdisciplinary subjects rather than narrow disciplines. Because of the importance of food, this topic also raises a host of ethical issues, including professional responsibility, equity of availability, determination of levels of safety in regard to public health, risk to workers’ rights, and informed consent among consumers.