Also called: SQF Practitioner, Food Quality Manager
Keeps food plants safe from contamination and makes sure every product meets quality and legal standards.
You swab equipment for bacteria, review the night sanitation crew's checklists and lead a mock recall drill to see how fast the plant can trace a pallet. When a lab test flags something, you decide whether product ships or gets held.
Estimated.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in food science, microbiology or biology; HACCP and SQF certifications.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Animal Science.
Growing about average. No separate BLS projection; food safety rules keep demand strong.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Sensors and AI track sanitation and temperatures, but plant walk-throughs and food safety accountability stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, Culinary arts class.
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.