Find a Job You Really Want In
Yes, packaged foods is a good career path. The packaged foods industry offers a wide range of jobs that connect farms and others in agriculture with consumers. This means you can work with livestock, agriculture, or consumers, as well as quality control or quality assurance to ensure your company is meeting regulations.
Additionally, packaged foods can be a great career for individuals looking to become bakers or chefs. Culinary school is one way to achieve this dream, but working in packaged foods can give you experience and education without a degree. Jobs in packaged foods can arm you with great skills and knowledge that you can use to your benefit as your career grows.
Here are 10 great jobs in packaged foods:
The 8 Best-Paying Jobs in Packaged Foods
The packaged food industry is one of the fastest-growing industries across the globe, meaning the job market has significantly expanded to meet the demand of consumers. These types of jobs can vary but have the potential to be very well paid and arm you with skills you can utilize to climb up in this career or in a different food-based career in the future.
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Flavorist
Average Annual Salary: N/A
A flavorist is an individual who is technically trained to study raw ingredients. Also known as a flavor chemist, this person uses chemistry to engineer artificial or natural flavors.
Currently, there are 4,500 raw ingredients approved by the FDA. Flavorists must use these to create flavors, replicate flavors, or incorporate them into final products.
Flavor itself is its own industry. Flavorist as a profession came to be when refrigeration became accessible to the home, which spurred food processing technology.
This affected the flavor of food, sometimes resulting in flavor loss. The chemists who resolved this were thus named flavorists.
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Average Annual Salary: $80,000
Refrigeration engineers are individuals who develop designs, oversee the fabrication of, and troubleshoot issues with refrigeration systems. This can be for both residential and industrial use, including maintaining things like restaurant refrigeration units, refrigerated healthcare equipment, and insulated trucks and trailers.
Engineers require a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, likely mechanical engineering, which is of primary use when operating refrigeration. This discipline requires individuals who are both creative and methodical and who love to problem-solve and collaborate with other team members.
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Average Annual Salary: $87,000
Food safety directors can work at large production or manufacturing facilities and oversell all compliance procedures and policies of the plant. They also perform inspections and other auditing duties as well as ensure all workers and the facility follow regulations as they relate to food, health, and safety.
As the food safety director, you would be responsible for hiring new inspectors and quality assurance workers as well. Most in this field come in with a bachelor’s degree as well as significant experience in the packaged foods industry. Individuals who land this job have typically worked in quality assurance or as a food inspector.
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Average Annual Salary: $68,000
Food scientists are individuals who research ways to improve the efficiency and safety of agricultural establishments and products. They may study the deterioration and processing of foods using microbiology, engineering, and chemistry. They may work in laboratories, offices, or directly in the field.
Food scientists determine the nutrient levels of food by analyzing its content. They may look for new nutritional food sources and research ways to make processed foods taste good while maintaining their safety and the health of the consumer. They may also be responsible for looking for the best ways to distribute, process, and preserve food.
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Food Operations Manager
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Food operations managers are responsible for the daily operations of foodservice operations. This may include implementing and maintaining standard procedures for the company, ensuring regulations are met, delivering high-quality food service, providing training for employees, and developing client relationships.
Food operations managers in manufacturing must have oversight of everything happening within the plant. They may also be responsible for improving and executing all manufacturing operations, overseeing production, planning, quality control, as well as machine maintenance.
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Broiler Manager
Average Annual Salary: N/A
A broiler manager is an individual who is responsible for supervising broilers on a farm while overseeing staff to make sure the broiler equipment and production are executed properly. Broiler managers may be responsible for reviewing and maintaining records and reporting back to management on overall production.
Broiler managers could also be responsible for training other broiler staff as well as managing and maintaining a budget. This is a job that may require a bachelor’s degree, although there are opportunities where employers may consider candidates who have previously worked on a farm or with specialized equipment.
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Average Annual Salary: $42,000
A refrigeration mechanic is an individual who installs, repairs, and maintains refrigeration systems. This is a significant part of packaged foods, given that most have a shelf life and require refrigeration to extend it. Refrigeration mechanics may work with commercial, domestic, and industrial refrigeration systems.
These individuals may be required to ensure the refrigeration systems they work on are in compliance, perform safety inspections, and document repairs, modifications, and inspections in accordance with FAA requirements. They may also complete small maintenance procedures like adjusting gaskets or replacing valves.
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Ammonia Refrigeration Technician
Average Annual Salary: $52,000
An ammonia refrigeration technician is an individual who is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and examining refrigeration systems, working specifically with ammonia in refrigeration. These technicians can also be responsible for breakdowns, meaning they must coordinate emergency repairs.
Ammonia is important in refrigeration as it is the chemical that is used to absorb heat from one area and bring it to another area to dissipate, keeping refrigeration cool. Ammonia refrigeration technicians must be able to perform physical tasks, including scaling tall buildings, climbing ladders, and more.
7 Entry-Level Jobs in Packaged Foods
Packaged food professionals are responsible for the development, testing, and production of packaged foods. Jobs in this career can include everything from marketing to farming to the distribution of these products. If you have a natural interest in food and want to work with people on a daily basis, a job in packaged food could be right for you.
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Food Taster
Average Annual Salary: N/A
A food taster is an individual who works to taste food that was prepared by someone else in order to test it for safety and various characteristics. They may start by taking small bites and focusing on how its key components taste. Food tasters typically do not swallow the food and use water to cleanse their palates in between bites.
Individuals who wish to become food tasters typically don’t need a degree. Many times they are average consumers hired part-time or when needed to taste various products and share feedback with the company. There are also professionally trained food testers like food scientists, food technicians, and product developers.
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Average Annual Salary: $53,000
Here in the United States, food inspectors are employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service. This means you’re considered a government employee. Food inspectors ensure meat, poultry, and other foods are safely processed in private plants and properly labeled for consumption.
Food inspectors are responsible for examining food in privately-owned meat or poultry plants, guaranteeing the product is not contaminated, maintaining sanitation procedures, and ensuring the product is fit to eat and in compliance with federal laws. Food inspectors are critical to our food chain, making sure our food is safe to eat.
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Average Annual Salary: $33,000
In packaged foods, batch makers utilize specialized equipment to mix or blend things according to specifications. This can be in relation to creating a specific type of food, or a specific type of flavor, depending on the company’s needs. The batch maker monitors the mixing process to ensure an even flow of materials for proper blending.
The batch maker is also responsible for documenting all activities and recording the contents of each batch, quantities used, and the date it was created. Batch makers may also be responsible for collecting and testing samples of each batch for quality control.
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Batcher
Average Annual Salary: N/A
Batchers are responsible for weighing materials and combining them in a mixer to create specific products for packaged foods. This is one of the most important jobs in the plant because they must ensure all ingredients are correctly measured and added to the batch in the right order.
Batchers are also responsible for ensuring all ingredients and materials are properly stored and that they will not spoil the batch. They report to the batch operator and perform calibrations and adjustments to the machinery or recipe at their order. They may also be involved in quality assurance responsibilities depending on the company.
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Average Annual Salary: $35,000
Batch mixers working in packaged foods are individuals who mix chemicals or ingredients to match certain specifications on products. Some of these actions require you to weigh your ingredients, while others require you to measure components for the specific blend or mix.
Batch mixers may also be responsible for monitoring the batch after they initially mix it to make sure the results are what was expected. Other tasks include various maintenance responsibilities, cleaning up equipment, and documenting the machines’ production for the floor leaders.
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Average Annual Salary: $29,000
Food processors are individuals who ensure the utmost quality of the food we eat. They organize and store food substances and handle any associated documentation needed. Food processors help to produce the final product while supervising the machine equipment and cooking process to make sure it’s done properly.
Food processors must maintain health requirements, preservative food instruction, and government standards. They may be asked to improve certain methods or company standards to improve working conditions. Additionally, they may oversee staff in executing routine processes.
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Average Annual Salary: $34,000
Oven operators are individuals who supervise the baking process while food is being created in commercial bakeries or factories. Oven operators are responsible for setting up the oven, monitoring it, and adjusting oven temperature and time controls. They may examine products during and after baking to ensure their quality.
Oven operators are responsible for loading and unloading the product from the oven for the next step in the package food’s manufacturing process. They may organize equipment, place oven racks in designated areas, and keep the work area clean and organized. Additionally, they must adhere to the plant’s safety procedures at all times.
Why Choose a Career in Packaged Foods?
Packaged food can be a great career for individuals who are interested in the food, agriculture, or culinary industry. This is a wonderful career path that offers a number of benefits that make the career enjoyable. Additionally, it arms you with new skills you can carry on as you get promoted in the field or to new avenues if desired.
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Steady pay. Working in packaged foods means you’ll not only get a steady paycheck, but you’ll have a predictable schedule and consistency in your salary.
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Develop new skills. Working in packaged foods, no matter the position you take, means you’ll be developing new skills as you learn on the job. This can be a unique career field, setting you up for future success as you grow as a professional in the field.
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Interact with new people. If you enjoy working with people and speaking with customers or co-workers on a daily basis, packaged foods can be a great career choice. Many jobs in this field are customer-facing or require you to work closely with a team.
Education and Certification Requirements for a Career in Packaged Foods
Packaged food is a crucial part of our economy, and the health of our population depends heavily on it. If you’re looking to enter this field, it can be a wonderful experience, but you’ll want to make sure you understand any education or certification requirements necessary to land a job in this field. For example:
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You’ll need a bachelor’s degree in food technology, food packaging, or engineering. These jobs required extensive knowledge of standards, health requirements, and more and often required a dedicated degree.
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Most entry positions only require a high school diploma, which is great for those just looking to get started on this career path. Though many more senior jobs require secondary education, some do not, as most experience is learned on the job.
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Existing skills matter meaning educational qualifications only do so much. In this field, you should be sure you’re able to work in a fast-paced environment, pay attention to details, and have mechanical skills and dexterity. These skills alone can set you apart from the competition.
What Do People Working In Packaged Foods Do?
The main task of packaged foods is to supply good quality products to customers while adhering to any regulations. Our society will always need food, so packaged foods is an industry where demand is always very high. Because the packaged foods business is responsible for ensuring all the food we eat is fresh, the job can also feel incredibly rewarding.
In the packaged foods industry, choose from working in food handling, extraction, elaboration, preservation, or packaging, depending on your interests, existing skills, and how you hope to build your career. Packaged foods are a great career path if you are passionate about food and have creativity flowing through your veins.
Author
Caitlin Mazur is a freelance writer at Zippia. Caitlin is passionate about helping Zippia’s readers land the jobs of their dreams by offering content that discusses job-seeking advice based on experience and extensive research. Caitlin holds a degree in English from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
