Food handler vs food safety director

The differences between food handlers and food safety directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food safety director has an average salary of $69,299, which is higher than the $32,581 average annual salary of a food handler.

The top three skills for a food handler include basic math, customer service and math. The most important skills for a food safety director are food service, FDA, and HACCP.

Food handler vs food safety director overview

	Food Handler	Food Safety Director
Yearly salary	$32,581	$69,299
Hourly rate	$15.66	$33.32
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	171,731	141,051
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	23	39
Years of experience	-	4

Food handler vs food safety director salary

Food handlers and food safety directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Handler	Food Safety Director
Average salary	$32,581	$69,299
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $34,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	Syracuse, NY	Concord, NH
Highest paying state	Washington	New Hampshire
Best paying company	Syracuse University	CyberCoders
Best paying industry	Finance	Media

Differences between food handler and food safety director education

There are a few differences between a food handler and a food safety director in terms of educational background:

	Food Handler	Food Safety Director
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Cornell University

Food handler vs food safety director demographics

Here are the differences between food handlers' and food safety directors' demographics:

	Food Handler	Food Safety Director
Average age	23	39
Gender ratio	Male, 43.2% Female, 56.8%	Male, 58.9% Female, 41.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between food handler and food safety director duties and responsibilities

Food handler example responsibilities.

Set up and operate point of sales (POS) cash registers, receive money and return proper change.
Record patient information to gain knowledge of special allergies and special diets to promote better safety and health management.
Enter orders into POS system, report daily sales to managers, conduct monthly inventory, and perform heavy cash flow.
Monitor and maintain cleanliness, sanitation, and organization of assign station and service areas.
Maintain clean work areas including display cases, walk-in coolers, fryers and other cooking equipment.
Prepare and serve food samples using small appliances such as microwaves, fryers, skillets, coffee makers and knives.

Food safety director example responsibilities.

Manage operations and provide support to a team of 245 union employees at various elementary, middle and high school cafeterias.
Prepare HACCP analysis report and provide reports for the areas not meeting the quality standards.
Supervise culinary selection, catering, event planning, and baking/cooking functions and oversee menu development.
Assist with the development and execution of HACCP plans specific to projects and special events.
Ensure collaboration between interdisciplinary teams including the clinical, culinary, and patient food service management staff to improve department efficiency.
Assist in directing total food service operation in accordance with USDA policies and procedures.

Food handler vs food safety director skills

Common food handler skills

Basic Math, 23%
Customer Service, 21%
Math, 14%
Food Service, 6%
Kitchen Equipment, 6%
Food Orders, 4%

Common food safety director skills

Food Service, 10%
FDA, 7%
HACCP, 7%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Culinary, 6%
Fsma, 5%

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Food Handler vs Food Safety Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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