Food & drink

Food factory worker

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

Annual Salary

£14,000 to £27,000

Working hours

42 to 44 a week

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

5.8%
Future employment

There will be 5.8% fewer Food factory worker jobs in 2027.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

You'll typically work on a production line following strict food safety and quality standards. You could:

  • control machinery that processes food
  • make sure there's a constant supply of ingredients
  • check instruments like temperature gauges
  • report problems with equipment
  • keep machines clean

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work in a factory.

Your working environment may be cold, hot and noisy.

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
Apprenticeship

You could get into this job through an intermediate or advanced food and drink process operator apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
Direct application

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

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

More information

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

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

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to work on your own
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • physical skills like lifting, bending and carrying
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • observation and recording skills
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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