Intern; Research and Development

Position: Intern (Research and Development)
Who We Are
At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives, their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.
We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products, but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do.

We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. IT'S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!
What You Will Do
Freshpet is looking for a Research and Development Intern for Summer 2026 at our
Bethlehem, PA facility. This summer internship's approximate dates are from May 2026 to
August 2026. You will be working Monday - Friday, 40 hours maximum per week.

Proposed Internship Project
Project Identification:

Product Testing - Cooking, human and animal sensory testing, nutritional testing

Short Term Goals:
Identify an improvement to current processes and work through testing
concepts
Long Term Goals:
Determine product/process change and prove efficacy

How You Will Make an Impact
This position supports the Research and Development team, which is responsible for product
formulation, product maintenance, nutrition testing, human and pet sensory testing, small
scale into larger scale product testing, ingredient testing, and working across multiple
departments. The R&D intern will be assigned duties that provide hands-on-experience about
how things work in industry from concept to commercialization. The R&D intern will gain
food science skills, planning and organization skills, and learn how to pivot based on test results.
They will learn how to work with cross-functional teams for designing, planning, and producing.
and testing. Experience will be obtained through learning and participating in cooking
products at a small scale, designing and running tests, communicating and working across
departments, and summarizing results.

Specific tasks and project assignments will cover a wide range of R&D responsibilities.

Some examples could include:

* Benchtop Lab cooking

* Designing and running tests on palatability, sensory, nutrition, and micro

* Supporting others in their work for a larger understanding of R&D functions

* Ingredient functionality and processing changes

What You Will Bring

Enrolled at an accredited college/university while working towards a bachelor's or master's degree in nutrition, Food Science, or biology is preferred
You are at minimum in your sophomore year, in good standing as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at your college or University
Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite - especially Excel
Willingness to roll up sleeves and perform a variety of tasks necessary to support the organization
Proven leadership skills
Strong analytical thinking skills and quick acclimation to systems
Learn quickly and work well independently
Collaborate, communicate, and work effectively in a team environment
Thrive in a fast-paced environment
Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
Works with assigned priorities, projects, and timelines concurrently
Has transportation
Comfortable with dogs

What We Offer

A competitive internship salary
Paid holidays that fall within the timeframe of your internship
Fully stocked cafeteria with all food free to interns and employees
Free Freshpet food for your dog or cat

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:
At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees' differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.
Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate, and preserve a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and the company's achievement as well.

Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Disclaimers
We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.
Freshpet is not…