Have you ever wanted to work in the food industry, but wasn’t sure what was out there? Here is your one-stop shop for finding the unique and full of food culinary career that you’ve always dreamed of….maybe.
Sensory Panelist
Also known as a frozen food taste tester, those in this culinary career check for quality and taste of all the food found in the freezer section.
Want this job? You should have strong taste buds and some knowledge about different flavors in order to describe what you’re eating.
$$$: Usually about $10 an hour.
Dog Food Taster
Yes, you read that right! Because our pups are so important to us, this culinary career exists to make sure that what they’re eating is somewhat delicious. Since the chow is made with high-quality proteins, grains, and veggies, it’s completely safe and FDA-regulated.
$$$: Starting salary is $30,000 but can go up to $117,000
Fortune Cookie Message Writer
Can you see the future? Maybe this job is for you! When cookie companies produce fortune cookies, they hire writers to create the short phrases that dictate our life.
Want this job? You must be creative, have knowledge of grammar, and must love cookies.
Chewing Gum Tester
Have you ever chewed fruity gum for 20 seconds and then spent another 30 minutes chewing tasteless gum? If this is one of your pet peeves or just love chewing gum, become a chomper for your favorite gum brand!
Culinary Trendologist
Do you keep up with the trends? Culinary Trendologists decide which new flavors should be experimented with, which items should be put on the shelves, and which foods aren’t going to succeed anymore.
Want this job? You should enjoy reading food blogs and publications, keeping up with industry news, and have a passion for the culinary world.
Egg Peeler
Companies that sell hard-boiled eggs hire people full-time to peel eggs before they’re sent to grocery stores to be sold. Usually, experienced people in this culinary career can peel an egg in a few seconds and the world record for most eggs peeled in a minute is 48!
Flavor Guru
One of the most desired culinary careers in the food industry, flavor gurus decide which flavors and tastes that people will love. Spending their days experimenting and concocting new mixes and combinations, flavor gurus help steer food companies to new and interesting flavors.
Want this job? Usually, flavor gurus have food or science degrees, and sometimes also have backgrounds as chefs or other food-centered positions.
$$$: Around $56,000 per year
Chicken Sexer
There are people who spend their days figuring out what the gender of each chicken is. Hired by hatcheries, chicken sexers are able to tell the gender mainly by intuition.
$$$: Up to $60,000 a year
Chocolate Taster
A dream job for many, chocolate tasters help chocolate-makers analyze the taste and quality of their chocolates. Using factors such as taste, touch, temperature, and smell, these professionals give their feedback and act as quality control. Is this not the dream culinary career?!
$$$: $24,000 – $70,000
Forager
For each restaurant, fresh and quality ingredients are necessary to ensure that the food being sold is as delicious as possible. Foragers are in charge of seeking out the best fresh foods in the area of the restaurants that hire them. Seeking out fresh meat, cheese, produce, and other products, the forager acts as the eyes and ears for the chef when grocery-shopping at an industrial level.
Now that you know more – maybe too much – about the food industry, would you like to have one of these careers? If so, which one?