Food Manufacturing Inspector

Typical Salary

£15,500 To £30,000

Typical Hours

40 to 42 a week

on call away from home

How To Become a Food Manufacturing Inspector

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

College / University

You could do a college course, like the Level 3 Diploma in Food and Drink Operations. This would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job.

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You can work towards this job by doing a food and drink process operator advanced apprenticeship.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start out in a food manufacturing operator role and move into inspection after further training.

To apply directly you'll usually need:

a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, science and maths
experience in food production
excellent knowledge of food laws

Some employers will also expect you to have qualifications in food technology, biology or chemistry. Others may ask for experience as a qualified environmental health officer.

You’ll also need food hygiene certificates.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
thinking and reasoning skills
the ability to analyse quality or performance
the ability to monitor your own performance and that of your colleagues
excellent verbal communication skills
legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Your day-to-day duties may include:

inspecting conditions in slaughterhouses and processing plants
carrying out quality control checks
testing samples of raw ingredients and processed products
analysing and presenting results
making sure production processes meet hygiene regulations
training production staff in the importance of safety standards
checking labelling and packaging
writing quality reports
advising companies about making improvements, and issuing warning notices

Working Environment

You could work at a manufacturing plant, in a factory or in an office.

Your working environment may be noisy and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience you could become a food safety manager, co-ordinating the work of a team of inspectors.

You could also move into environmental health or food science after training.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in food safety from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll usually need a driving licence to travel between sites.