Thailand has aspired to be the "kitchen of the world". But who will do the cooking when the food scientists are overworked, underpaid, and fewer young people want to study food science in the first place?
The "kitchen of the world" slogan sounds confident and modern. It suggests global ambition. But behind the slogan lies a quieter, less glamorous question -- does the country actually have the necessary personnel to turn this dream into reality?
One of the economic policies across political parties, including the current Bhumjaithai, is to push the food industry as a new engine of growth.
The logic is simple. Thailand has long been one of the world's major food exporters. "Kitchen of the world" has become part of its international brand. So why not move up the value chain, invest in technology, and turn food into a high-income industry?
The key players in this plan are not just farmers, restaurateurs, or chefs but food scientists. They are the technical architects who apply biology, chemistry, and engineering to turn raw ingredients into something delicious, safe, consistent, and durable enough to enter global supply and logistics chains.
According to a survey by the Office of National Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Policy Council (NXPO) and Iris Consulting, between 2025 and 2029, the processed food and future food sectors will require more than 47,000 workers.
That sounds like good news. But real-world data tells a more complicated story.
An analysis by the TDRI Big Data research team of online job advertisements from more than 23 job posting websites shows that demand for food science workers is not growing as expected.
Even more worrying, interest in studying the field is actually declining. This big data research team is funded by Thailand Science, Research and Innovation (TSRI) through the Programme Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B).
Indeed, the demand for food scientists has not increased much. Comparing job postings in the third quarter of 2024 with the same period in 2025, positions requiring food science and technology graduates increased only slightly from 1,219 to 1,257.
At the same time, job postings in the food processing sector fell by -6.33%, and in the broader agriculture and food sector by -6.83%. In other words, private sector demand is flat. Not collapsing, but not expanding either.
The problem becomes clearer when looking at new graduates.
Over a one-year period, from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the third quarter of 2025, there were 5,134 job ads seeking food science graduates. In 2025, 3,389 students graduated in the field. On paper, demand seems higher than supply.
But digging deeper reveals another problem. For entry-level jobs, there were only 2,408 job offers that fit fresh graduates, as these positions demand less than three years' experience. That is fewer than the number of fresh graduates entering the market, 3,389.
Another serious problem is that fewer and fewer students want to pursue careers in food science.
Data from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation shows that the number of food science graduates has fallen every year, from 4,015 in 2021 to just 3,389 in 2025. That is a drop of -15.6% in five years.
Why the loss of interest? One simple reason: money.
My TCAS data show that median salaries in the food science sector are low, especially given how demanding the degree is and how tough and draining these jobs tend to be. Pay is also lower than in other science and engineering fields, such as electrical engineering or chemical.
So, students are making a rational choice. Same effort, heavier workload, lower pay. So they go elsewhere.
The bigger question is whether food science wages are low because the industry does not really need that many high-skilled workers.
The structure of the food industry offers part of the answer. According to the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion, more than 87% of food businesses in Thailand are microenterprises. That is far higher than in sectors like transport and warehouses (49.22%) or construction (62.34%).
Micro entrepreneurs mean limited capital. Limited capital means a limited ability to pay higher salaries to highly trained specialists, which results in lower wage levels.
So Thailand is left with a strange contradiction. The country wants to become a global food powerhouse. But the key workforce to drive innovation and transformation is stuck in an industry that is structurally unable to reward them.
If this is the real problem, producing more graduates will not fix it. More people competing for the same stagnant pool of jobs will only push wages down further.
The real solution lies in upgrading the industry itself. Then the demand for food scientists grows, and therefore wages will rise accordingly.
First, small businesses must gain access to modern production technologies -- from food safety systems like GMP and HACCP to better packaging, automation, and productivity tools.
This requires state support: subsidies, technical advice, and shared facilities across regions. Higher productivity means lower costs, higher income, and eventually, real demand for food scientists.
Second, Thailand needs to move beyond contract manufacturing to creating its own brands. The government must support SMEs to invest in research and development so they can develop their own products and brands. Value-added goods will enable the food industry to grow further, leading to more demand for food scientists and higher pay.
Third, develop a network to link food science graduates to food producers in different regions. Many provinces have growing food industries, but cannot attract skilled workers. Job-matching schemes, long-term internships, and cooperation between universities, local authorities, and firms can help shift talent from central areas to where it is actually needed.
None of this is glamorous. None of it fits neatly into campaign slogans.
But without policy support and timely solutions, "kitchen of the world" will be just a proud label built on a fragile foundation. How can it become real when our kitchens lack a workforce? Like the allegory of cooking itself, a poorly staffed kitchen will never create a wonderful dish.
Napapop Thongraya is a researcher at the Thailand Development and Research Institute (TDRI). Policy analyses from the TDRI appear in the 'Bangkok Post' on alternate Wednesdays.
