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The differences between food processors and catering assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a catering assistant has an average salary of $32,101, which is higher than the $31,432 average annual salary of a food processor.
The top three skills for a food processor include food safety, assembly line and GMP. The most important skills for a catering assistant are patients, food service, and customer service.
| Food Processor | Catering Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $31,432 | $32,101 |
| Hourly rate | $15.11 | $15.43 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 54,339 | 10,042 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A food processing job involves various tasks to ensure the highest quality of food and ingredients during food preparations in a facility. Food safety processors or food processing workers prepare and preserve various food items, such as canned, baked, frozen, dried, and pasteurized products, and manage their inventory. Aside from working in food production, the food processors also monitor the machinery during cooking and mixing of the ingredients to ensure compliance with the product quality standards. Depending on their specific tasks, these processors must follow strict health, safety food guidelines, and government regulations.
A catering assistant is responsible for supporting catering operations, especially on outdoor gatherings and social events. Catering assistants prepare the buffet area and ensure the adequacy of foods and beverages, and provide the best customer service for the guests' satisfaction. Catering assistants must have excellent communication skills, responding to the guests' inquiries and concerns about the dish, and resolving immediate complaints. They maintain the cleanliness of the buffet station, strictly adhering to the sanitary standards and hygienic regulations.
Food processors and catering assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Processor | Catering Assistant | |
| Average salary | $31,432 | $32,101 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $38,000 | Between $26,000 And $38,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hillsboro, OR | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | E.W. Grobbel Sons | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a food processor and a catering assistant in terms of educational background:
| Food Processor | Catering Assistant | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between food processors' and catering assistants' demographics:
| Food Processor | Catering Assistant | |
| Average age | 37 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.2% Female, 39.8% | Male, 32.2% Female, 67.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.3% Asian, 8.5% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |