Fish canning operator

Fish canning operators brine, cook and package fish. They sterilise fish canning lines and introduce fishes in tanks once heads and visceras have been removed from the body. They tend cooking stoves to preheat the fish, and fill the cans either manually or mechanically with fish, olive oil or other products.

The following job titles also refer to fish canning operator:

fish canning operative
fish canner

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a fish canning operator.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Fish canning operator is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to fish canning operator.

fish trimmer
fruit and vegetable canner
fish production operator
fish preparation operator
blender operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of fish canning operator. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of fish canning operator with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

green coffee coordinator
water treatment systems operator
dairy processing technician
animal feed supervisor
food technician

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of fish canning operator.

• Food canning production line: Steps in the canning process line from washing, conditioning and weighing food products, washing and preparing cans, filling cans, as well as other operations in order to obtain the end product.
• Food storage: The proper conditions and methods to store food to keep it from spoiling, taking into account humidity, light, temperature and other environmental factors.
• Food preservation: Deterioration factors, controlling factors (temperature, additives, humidity, pH, water activity, etc., including packaging) and food processing methods to preserve food products.

These skills are necessary for the role of fish canning operator.

• Maintain cutting equipment: Maintenance of the cutting equipment (knives, cutters, and other elements).
• Tolerate strong smells: Tolerate strong smells expelled by the goods being processed during the production of goods.
• Ensure sanitation: Keep workspaces and equipment free from dirt, infection, and disease by removing waste, trash and providing for appropriate cleaning.
• Tend canning machine: Tend canning machine powered by electricity or batteries in order to can various types of food.
• Preserve fish products: Place and classify fish products for proper conservation. Maintain suitable conditions for the conservation of fishery products.
• Inspect raw materials for muscle food processing: Inspect raw materials required for the production process, assessing quality and hidden flaws. Verify the origin of the raw materials using the sector defined documents, stamps or marks.
• Mark differences in colours: Identify differences between colours, such as shades of colour.
• Clean food and beverage machinery: Clean machinery used for food or beverage production processes. Prepare the appropriate solutions for cleaning. Prepare all parts and assure that they are clean enough to avoid deviation or errors in the production process.
• Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• Check quality of products on the production line: Check products for quality on the production line and remove defective items before and after packaging.
• Administer ingredients in food production: Ingredients to be added and the required amounts according to the recipe and the way those ingredients are to be administered.
• Be at ease in unsafe environments: Be at ease in unsafe environments like being exposed to dust, rotating equipment, hot surfaces, sub-freezing and cold storage areas, noise, wet floors and moving lift equipment.
• Apply preservation treatments: Apply common treatments to preserve the characteristics of food products taking care of their appearance, smell and taste.
• Execute chilling processes to food products: Carry out chilling, freezing and cooling operation processes to food products such as fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, catering food. Prepare food products for extended periods of storage or half prepared food. Ensure safety and nutrition qualities of frozen goods and preserve products in accordance with specified temperatures.
• Remove parts of fish: Remove guts, heads and tails for fish and seafood production.
• Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages: Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.
• Apply GMP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Use food cutting tools: Trim, peel and slice products with knives, paring or food cutting tools or equipment according to guidelines.
• Package fish: Package fish in specified containers and compartments after preparing and trimming the fish. Prepare the fish to be shipped, and further treated in the supply chain.
• Wash gutted fish: Wash gutted fish in cold water, rinse it, brush it in a machine, or apply a combination of these techniques.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of fish canning operator. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Legislation about animal origin products: The applicable legal rules on temperature, waste materials, traceability, labelling, trading, and the transport of animal origin products.
• Health, safety and hygiene legislation: The set of health, safety and hygiene standards and items of legislation applicable in a specific sector.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of fish canning operator. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Care for food aesthetic: Convey presentation and aesthetic elements into the production of food. Cut products properly, manage right quantities into the product, care for the attractiveness of the product.
• Operate a heat treatment process: Apply heat treatment aimed at preparing and preserving half-finished or finished food products.
• Slice fish: Cut fish or fish parts into fillets and smaller pieces.
• Set up equipment for food production: Set up machinery and equipment for food production. Make sure that controls, settings, and input requirements are according to the required standards.
• Label foodstuffs: Uses adequate equipment to place label on food goods.
• Liaise with colleagues: Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.
• Follow hygienic procedures during food processing: Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
• Select adequate ingredients: Select adequate ingredients based in their technological function to execute ideas. Strive for consistent good quality of the ingredients and use them adequately to obtain a satisfactory final product.
• Dispose non-food waste within the food industry: Dispose non-food waste within the food industry applying environmentally accepted procedures to dispose it.
• Adapt efficient food processing practices: Ensure to adapt the most efficient production techniques to accomplish food processing tasks with the least amount of time, effort and costs.
• Dispose food waste: Dispose or collect food waste with the purpose of recycling or throwing away from the production process. Follow established procedures for their disposal taking care of the environment and the safety matters according to legislations.
• Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production: Make sure to comply with environmental legislation in food production. Understand the legislation related to environmental matters in food manufacturing and apply it in practice.
• Label samples: Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.

8160 – Food and related products machine operators

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References

1. Fish canning operator – ESCO