How Many Jobs are Available in Packaged Foods: Food packaging is a packaging system specifically designed for food. It represents one of the most critical aspects of the processes involved in the food industry, as it protects chemical, biological, and physical alterations. The main goal of food packaging is to provide a practical means of protecting and delivering food goods at a reasonable cost while meeting the needs and expectations of both consumers and industries. Additionally, trends like sustainability, environmental impact reduction, and shelf-life extension have gradually become among the essential aspects of designing a packaging system.

How Many Jobs are Available in Packaged Foods

Food Inspector

A food inspector is a public health professional who ensures that meat, poultry, and other related food products processed in private plants meet safety and labeling requirements. They may also inspect restaurants and supermarkets for sanitation compliance, food storage practices, and food handling compliance.

Food inspectors use their knowledge of nutrition and ingredients to determine if the packaged food is consumable. They may test products for dangerous levels of bacteria, chemicals, or contaminants. When inspecting food, inspectors look for mold, dirt, insects, or other foreign objects. The food inspector also checks the temperature of the food, how clean the surfaces are, and how well the food is stored. An inspector will inspect each item individually before moving on to the next one.

Responsibilities

Ensuring all processed products comply with federal laws
Ensuring proper labeling of meats and other foods
Examining animals used for food in private meat and poultry plants
Following and enforcing required sanitation procedures in all locations
Monitoring workstations and dressing procedures
Performing inspections before and after slaughter to guarantee products are free of contamination.
Providing education about federal regulations to plant managers and employees
Reporting information from inspections to plant managers and appropriate supervisors
Reporting unsanitary, unsafe, or hazardous conditions to the proper personnel
Weighing meat and poultry products

Salary range: $60,225 per year

Factory Worker

A factory worker performs various jobs in factories. Factory workers may operate machinery to manufacture different products. They may also sort, check and pack products or work on product assembly. You can find this position in industrial environments.

Responsibilities

Following health and safety standards.
Maintain a clean workstation and production floor.
Assemble products and parts.
Follow production guidelines and specifications.
Finalize and package products for shipment.
Operate and maintain machinery and production line equipment.
Monitor the assembly line and remove faulty products.
Work on the production line and meet production targets.
Report any issues to the supervisor on duty.
Perform other tasks as assigned.

Salary range: $33,315 per year

Oven Operator

An oven operator supervises the baking process during food production in commercial bakeries or factories. As part of your duties, you are responsible for set up, monitoring, and adjusting oven temperature and time controls. You examine the products during and after baking to ensure product quality.

Responsibilities

Report safety incidents to supervisor/management immediately.
Report food safety concerns to supervisor/management immediately.
Properly communicate information between Mixing, Packaging, and Management.
Complete paperwork and daily reports.
Utilize playbooks.
Read and understand the production schedule.
Assist other departments as needed.
Participate in plant audit and inspection preparation.
Other duties as assigned.

Salary range: $30.9K per year

Product Designer

A product designer is somebody who oversees the design process of a product from start to finish or the improvement of an existing product. A product designer might brainstorm solutions to current pain points, take input from stakeholders, act as a liaison between designers, engineers, and researchers, and help compose mock-ups through wireframes and prototypes. They have an understanding of the bigger goals of the product while being mindful of the details needed to achieve them.

Responsibilities

Set design requirements based on information from internal teams and user research.
Identify new product improvement opportunities.
Analyze how a new product satisfies market needs and consumer preferences.
Stay up to date on current industry trends and market conditions.
Coordinate with other design team members to ensure consistent and accurate communication.
Modify and revise existing designs to meet changing customer preferences.
Work closely with product engineers to suggest improvements for products and processes.
Present product design ideas to cross-functional teams and senior leadership.

Salary range: $98,321 per year

Packaging Engineer

A packaging engineer is a type of engineer that specializes in designing effective packaging for a variety of uses, including in the shipping, food, and chemical industries. Since these industries require safe packaging that can endure for the life of the product, it’s helpful for an engineer to design the packaging. This can also ensure that the packaging is as efficient as possible to reduce bulk and wasted packaging materials.

Responsibilities

Develop various packaging concepts in coordination with finished products and materials used and ensure compatibility of packaging with the manufacturing unit.
Assist all internal teams and perform research on all products and evaluate packing requirements in the development phase of all products.
Develop all components and packaging labels and monitor all engineering activities and provide support to all products, document all activities, and perform tests on product designs.
Design all releases of packaging components and assemblies and coordinate with product designers and ensure compliance with all internal and external requirements.
Provide technical support to all engineering and provide support to manufacturing and implementation processes of product packaging.
Documents all engineering protocols and develop all engineering and manufacturing specification and ensure compliance with all FDA and ISO regulation.
Prepare and documents all test designs for packages and prepare new packaging and ensure maintenance of all bill of materials according to the required specification.
Analyze and provide support to all activities to achieve all marketing objectives and assist to launch new products and reduce the cost of production.
Review all new technology and prepare the design to increase efficiency and ensure effective transition of all designs into the design process.
Coordinate with both national and international vendors and reduce material costs and plan all related activities for packaging such as transportation and display of products.
Develop and maintain an activity schedule for the project and ensure appropriate labels on all products.
Supervise all product displays and determine efficient plans for supplies.

Salary range: $81,631 per year

Product Tester

In the packaging industry, product testers assess the quality of necessary packing materials. Some packages must be prepared for specific circumstances, such as the need for refrigeration or extra care for fragile items. Product testers evaluate adhesives by testing how they hold up in different environments. They also test out the boxes, cartons, bottles, and other materials used for packaging items to ensure they are well-suited for transporting, considering factors like climate and the materials that make up the product itself.

Responsibilities

Develop test programs and write test plans to validate product performance.
Perform product testing and log test results.
Analyze and track defects identified in testing.
Work with product teams to develop test plans for new products.
Assist in developing test protocols to anticipate product performance.
Monitor and track the status of test defects until closed.
Determine timing and cost required to execute test programs.
Prepare failure analysis report and provide corrective actions.
Recommend product design revisions based on test data to meet expected performance.
Determine resources and equipment needed to conduct testing.
Develop manual and automated tools to increase test effectiveness.
Develop best practices to improve testing quality.
Review technical architecture documents, design documents, and functional requirements to identify any potential defects.
Maintain accurate documentation for executed test programs.
Investigate test problems and implement solutions.

Salary range: $43,037 per year

Shipping Coordinator

Shipping coordinators are responsible for collecting and recording shipping information. They coordinate shipping schedules and determine appropriate shipping methods for different products. A shipping coordinator may also assign other employees to different areas of a warehouse or loading site, facilitating the shipment process.

Responsibilities

Communicate with clients and shippers and resolve any complaints.
Prepare shipping quotes for customers.
Negotiate shipping fees with couriers.
Prepare sales reports for senior management.
Keep a meticulous record of shipment information.
Managing the relationships between shipping merchants and traders and negotiating freight charges
Liaising between clients and shipping companies to resolve any complaints
Preparing shipping quotes for customers and sales reports for the sales management
Supervising the loading and unloading of shipping vessels and executing stevedoring activities
Coordinating warehouse staff to enable effective land-based product shipping
Reviewing orders and processing order changes, returns, and cancellations
Determining the most efficient methods of shipping and routes for courier services
Scheduling loads and processing shipping paperwork

Salary range: $39,830 per year

Refrigeration Technician

Refrigeration technicians install refrigeration components, requiring them to have an excellent analysis of blueprints and schematics. They inspect the system components and inform the company. they are in charge of the management of preventive maintenance and troubleshooting for minor defects and inconsistencies, as well as calculating costs and materials for repairs. A refrigeration technician must be well-equipped with mechanical knowledge to identify failures and upgrade units as necessary.

Responsibilities

Process and complete work orders.
Contact the client to ascertain their equipment needs.
Order equipment supplies, repair modules, and sundries for the order.
Read and interpret blueprints and compliance schematics.
Install climate control systems, refrigeration units, and beverage equipment.
Observe and test newly installed systems.
Troubleshoot refrigeration equipment failures.
Maintain stock levels.
Replace worn seals, outer shells, and worn-out motors.
Inform clients of repair costs and alternate cooling options.

Salary range: $54,530 per year

Packer

Packers handle the packaging and shipping of items from vendors. They typically work in warehouses and are tasked with labeling and preparing products for shipment. Packers often have inspection responsibilities, including weighing and measuring packages and shipping containers. They may also regularly examine storage and packaging areas for company quality assurance. Packing is a great entry-level option for those interested in entering the packaging industry.

Responsibilities

Ensure that items are undamaged.
Clean shipping containers.
Label items.
Pack items into shipping containers.
Seal and label shipping containers.

Salary range: $30,485 per year

Food Scientist

A food scientist studies the deterioration and processing of foods by using microbiology, engineering, and chemistry. They determine the nutrient levels of food by analyzing its content. They look for new nutritional food sources and investigate avenues for making processed foods taste good, safe, and healthy. They also find the best way to distribute, process, preserve and package the food.

Responsibilities

evaluating the nutritional value, colour, flavour and texture of food
testing food samples for particular types of moulds, yeast and bacteria that may be harmful
ensuring that food manufacturing processes conform with government, processing, consumer and industry standards
exploring alternative manufacturing methods
producing new food products
working closely with other food production staff including microbiologists, engineers, packaging specialists and buyers
establishing low-cost wholesale food production methods
investigating and setting standards for safety and quality.

Salary range: $100,000 per year.

How Many Jobs are Available in Packaged Foods