Food Safety Specialist/Quality Control Technician
Food safety specialists and quality control technicians ensure that food is processed, packaged and prepared safely as directed by the company and regulatory organizations. They divide their time between monitoring the production floor and working in the laboratory performing analytical tests. Furthermore, they train and effectively communicate food safety policies to all company employees and growers.
Future Job Market
-
Fair
-
Good
-
Excellent
Typical Employers:
Typical employers include food production companies and government inspection agencies.
Suggested Professional Organizations and Associations:
- American Society for Microbiology
- American Council for Food Safety and Quality
- Institute of Food Technologists
- National Coalition for Food and Agricultural Research
Salary:
$56,000?
FFA Connections:
What Responsibilities Will I Have?
- Observe employees during daily procedures to assure quality control
- Perform quality control analysis including tests and inspections of products and processes
- Ensure that equipment is properly calibrated
- Inspect incoming raw material to ensure all inputs meet specification
- Monitor and sample manufacturing equipment for cleanliness
- Review and update food safety and quality documents
- Investigate non-compliances
- Conduct sampling for microbiological, analytical testing and sensory evaluation
- Complete paperwork and other reporting tasks including trends analysis, shift reports and non-conformance
- Meet with company management and maintain relationships with leadership
- Develop training and effectively communicate food safety policies
- Assist in preparation for internal and external customer audits
- Attend annual customer meetings, industry events and continuing education classes
Recommended High School Courses:
- agricultural education
- biology
- chemistry
- mathematics
Education/Training Required:
A bachelor’s degree in food science, chemistry, microbiology or environmental health is usually needed.
