Post job

What is a food production supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

The Food Production Supervisor oversees the food manufacturing process. They are primarily responsible for increasing productivity with innovative methods and motivating staff to perform better. To be successful as a Food Production Supervisor, you must be goal-oriented and organized. A good Production Supervisor keeps up to date with innovations in production and ensures that health and safety laws are followed.

Employers generally prefer food production supervisors with a degree in mechanical engineering or a related field alongside a minimum of four years of manufacturing experience. The individuals who gravitate towards this field end up laying claim to annual earnings at $78,850. However, this figure can vary significantly depending upon your experience, skills, and academic qualification.

ScoreFood Production SupervisorUS Average
Salary
2.4

Avg. Salary $30,578

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
8.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
4.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.70%

Asian 4.68%

Black or African American 12.66%

Hispanic or Latino 17.93%

Unknown 4.09%

White 59.95%

Gender

female 29.96%

male 70.04%

Age - 47
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47
Stress level
8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
3.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Food production supervisor career paths

Key steps to become a food production supervisor

  1. Explore food production supervisor education requirements

    Most common food production supervisor degrees

    Bachelor's

    41.9 %

    Associate

    33.1 %

    High School Diploma

    12.8 %
  2. Start to develop specific food production supervisor skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Customer Service28.12%
    Safety Procedures26.78%
    Food Service21.65%
    Food Safety21.45%
    Lean Manufacturing0.22%
  3. Complete relevant food production supervisor training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New food production supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a food production supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real food production supervisor resumes.
  4. Research food production supervisor duties and responsibilities

    • Manage the daily operation of food production for patients, guests and employees as well as all internal and external catering.
    • Confer with the USDA and QA as needed on issues within the department.
    • Implement builder-level Kaizen events to improve station standard work to provide daily consistency, reduce operator errors, and increase productivity.
    • Accelerate development of core skills including leadership capability, functional excellence, professional skill and general business knowledge.
  5. Apply for food production supervisor jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a food production supervisor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first food production supervisor job

Zippi

Are you a food production supervisor?

Share your story for a free salary report.

Average food production supervisor salary

The average food production supervisor salary in the United States is $30,578 per year or $15 per hour. Food production supervisor salaries range between $22,000 and $41,000 per year.

Average food production supervisor salary
$30,578 Yearly
$14.70 hourly

What am I worth?

salary-calculator

How do food production supervisors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Food production supervisor reviews

profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2022
Pros

Being able to create a work environment where people flourish, come together, build good relationships form positive teamwork, watching work flow smoothly, reaching or exceeding goals, and be accountable. 2. An opportunity to learn shop floor activities technically and also to develop managerial skills.

Cons

When my children were young and still in school, I didn't like not having a work-life balance to be with the family. But now my family is grown up with there own families.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2020
Pros

I like getting to know the company's operation and running numbers to see what opportunities there are for improvement.

Cons

I don't dislike anything about supervising, however the most difficult part of this position for me was managing people. This is a challenge when turnover rates are high.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019
Pros

Diversity of day to day operations

Cons

Stress and the babysitting nature of job.


Working as a food production supervisor? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall rating*
Career growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse production and manufacturing jobs