What does a job in Food Production involve & why is it essential?

As a Food Production Operative, your main role is to produce and package food and drink products, often on a production line in a factory. This may mean producing finished products such as pre-packaged wraps, sandwiches and salads for well-known food stores such as M&S, or it may mean creating products to be used elsewhere in the food manufacturing sector. A Food Production Operative may be involved in any aspect of manufacture, from weighing and checking raw ingredients, to assembly or packaging of a finished product. As part of your role as a Food Operative, you may be required to carry out post-production quality checks, keep machines supplied with ingredients, packaging or labels, adjust machine settings and report any faults. It is essential to maintain a clean environment and ensure that food safety measures are adhered to. By working in Food Production you are contributing to a vital sector. Processed food enables the supply of safe, nutritious and affordable food and drink, and contributes to the country’s food security and economy, as well as providing livelihoods for many thousands of people.

What does Food Production involve?

Food can be processed on production lines in a variety of ways; from frozen, canned, baked or dried to cooked, pasteurised or chilled. Food from these production lines will then be packaged in containers, cans or packets. Modern food and drink production methods allow products to be preserved for longer, retaining their quality and creating the highest standard product possible. Depending on the level of automation, a more direct, hands-on approach may be required in factories that rely less on state-of the-art machinery. It is important to minimise damaged or rejected products, and the keep the production line as consistent and efficient as possible.

Types of Food Production Operative

There are many different types of Operatives working in food production. They range from Bakery Operatives creating baked goods for high street shops and supermarkets; operatives specialising in Cereal Products for companies such as Pioneer Foods, the UK’s leading cereal maker; or Packing Machine/Warehouse Operatives specialising in coffee production for independently-owned coffee roasting and packing facilities such as Masteroast. Other specialist areas include dairy and meat production and packing.

What skills does a Food Production Operative require?

Whilst there are many opportunities to learn new skills as a Food Production Operative, it is important to have good problem solving and teamworking skills, great accuracy and attention to detail, and the ability to stay focused. As with all roles within the Food and Drink industry, knowledge of food safety issues is vital, and knowing how to react swiftly, should a problem arise, is key. The ability to work flexibly is a great advantage as many Food Production jobs are shift-based, with a variety of working patterns available. Quest can help you find your perfect Food Production job, and we’re proud to say that we will go above and beyond to help you find a role that suits you! Browse our range of food production jobs and kick start your career today.  

Back to Blogs