Overview
Outlook
Data
Training
Description
Testers and graders in food and beverage processing test or grade ingredients and finished food or beverage products to ensure conformance to company standards. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, fish plants, meat plants, breweries and other food and beverage processing plants.
Job Titles
- Bacon grader
- Beef grader
- Beer bottling line quality control tester
- Beverage and bottle inspector
- Beverage inspector
- Bread tester
- Brewery tester – food and beverage processing
- Butter grader
- Butterfat tester
- Can inspector – food and beverage processing
- Candy inspector
- Canned and bottled foods inspector
- Capon grader – food and beverage processing
- Casing grader – food and beverage processing
- Cheese grader
- Cigarette grader
- Cigarette tester
- Cookie and cracker tester
- Cream grader
- Dairy cream tester
- Dairy grader – food and beverage processing
- Dairy tester – food and beverage processing
- Dressed poultry grader
- Feed tester – food and beverage processing
- Filter tip inspector – tobacco processing
- Fish grader
- Food and beverage processing grader
- Fruit and vegetable grader – food and beverage processing
- Grader – food and beverage processing
- Grain sampler – food and beverage processing
- Ham grader
- Hogshead inspector – tobacco processing
- Honey grader and blender
- Kosher inspector – food and beverage processing
- Lamb grader
- Liquor tester – food and beverage processing
- Mashgiach – food and beverage processing
- Meat grader
- Milk grader
- Milk receiver-tester
- Poultry grader
- Process control checker – food and beverage processing
- Produce grader – food and beverage processing
- Product tester – food and beverage processing
- Quality control checker – food and beverage processing
Main Duties
- Take samples of products at various stages of processing
- Examine ingredients or finished products by sight, touch, taste and smell or weigh materials to ensure conformance to company standards
- Conduct routine tests for product specifications such as colour, alcohol content, carbonation, moisture content, temperature, fat content and packaging
- Grade or sort raw materials or finished products
- Ensure hygiene and sanitation practices conform to policies and regulations
- Advise supervisors of ingredient or product deficiencies.
Workplaces
- Bakeries
- Brewing companies
- Dairies
- Fish plants
- Flour mills
- Food, beverage and tobacco processing establishments
- Fruit and vegetable processing plants
- Meat plants
- Sugar refineries
Skills
- Operation Monitoring of Machinery and Equipment
- Quality Control Testing
- Coordinating
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
Abilities
- Auditory Attention
- Control of Settings
- Finger Dexterity
- Manual Dexterity
- Perceptual Speed
Personal Attributes
- Attention to Detail
- Analytical Thinking
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Independence
Similar Occupations
- Agricultural and fish products inspectors (22111)
- Supervisors, food and beverage processing (92012)
- Food processing quality control technologist (in 22100.01 Chemical technologists)
- Food processing quality control technician (in 22100.02 Chemical technicians)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be moderate for Testers and graders, food and beverage processing (94143) in Prince Edward Island for the 2022-2024 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
- Due to the seasonal nature of this occupation, employment opportunities tend to be more favourable during the summer months.
Here are some key facts about Testers and graders, food and beverage processing in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 200 people work in this occupation.
- Testers and graders, food and beverage processing mainly work in the following sectors:
- Food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (NAICS 311, 312): 56%
- Agriculture (NAICS 111, 112, 1151, 1152): 37%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 92% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 8% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 19% of testers and graders, food and beverage processing work all year, while 81% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 29 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- Less than 5% of testers and graders, food and beverage processing are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 38% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 62% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: 24% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: 51% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 12% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $16.00 | $17.00 | $22.43 |
| Canada | $15.80 | $21.75 | $33.39 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.
More Info
View the full occupational profile with details on work characteristics, interests, employment requirements and more on the Occupational and Skills Information System (OaSIS) website.
Related Jobs
There are currently no job listings for this occupation on WorkPEI.