Also called: QA Tech, Food Safety Technician
Patrols the production floor checking temperatures, metal detectors, labels, and sanitation.
Clipboard or tablet in hand, you check that ovens are hot enough to kill bacteria, run test pieces through metal detectors, and confirm packages have the right labels. If something's off, you can stop the line.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. High school diploma; associate degree helps; HACCP training provided.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Certification, 2-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Food Science.
Growing about average.
Medium risk for 10 years. Inline sensors, cameras and digital checklists automate checks; people still walk the floor, but fewer per shift.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to food plants (dairy, snacks, meat) for QA technician jobs; they train you in food safety checks
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Math.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.