Food & drink

Food factory worker

Food factory workers make frozen, tinned, baked and dried products.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £28,000

Working hours

40 to 44 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts

0.7%
Future employment

There will be 0.7% fewer Food factory worker jobs in 2029.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

As a food factory worker, you'll typically work on a production line following strict food safety and quality standards.

You could:

  • move raw materials from storage to production areas
  • complete equipment start up checks on your section
  • control machinery that processes food
  • add the right amount of ingredients to blenders and mixers
  • monitor instruments like temperature gauges
  • carry out quality checks
  • report problems with equipment to line supervisors
  • clean machines ready for the next production run

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a factory.

Your working environment may be hot, noisy and cool.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You may be able to apply to do a Food and Drink Process Operator Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship with a food production company.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Direct application

You can apply directly for jobs. You'll have an advantage if you've got:

  • experience on a production line, especially one making food products
  • GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths

Further information

You can find out more about working in food production from Tasty careers.

More information

With experience, you could become a shift supervisor or move into quality control.

You could improve your career prospects by taking an industry qualification like a certificate in food team leading.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to operate and control equipment
  • the ability to work on your own
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • observation and recording skills
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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