Food production engineer

Description

Food production engineers oversee the electrical and mechanical needs of the equipment and machinery required in the process of manufacturing food or beverages. They strive to maximise plant productivity by engaging in preventive actions in reference to health and safety, good manufacturing practices (GMP), hygiene compliance, and performance of routine maintenance of machines and equipment.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to food production engineer:

food engineer

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as food production engineer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

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.

Food production engineer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Food production engineer career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to food production engineer.

food and beverage packaging technologist
food production manager
botanicals specialist
food technologist
animal feed nutritionist

Long term prospects

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

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of food production engineer.

Electrical engineering: Understand electrical engineering, a field of engineering that deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.
Electronics: The functioning of electronic circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including programming and applications. Apply this knowledge to ensure electronic equipment runs smoothly.
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.
Quality assurance methodologies: Quality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of food production engineer.

Disassemble equipment: Disassembles equipment using hand tools in order to clean equipments and to perform regular operational maintenance.
Manage corrective actions: Implementing corrective action and continuous improvement plans from internal and third party audits to meet food safety and quality performance indicators with adherance to agreed timescales.
Configure plants for food industry: Design plants configuration, including sources and equipment for the food industry so that they can be readily adapted to suit the product range and the process technologies involved. Take environmental and economic aspects into account.
Apply haccp: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Develop food production processes: Develop processes and techniques for food production or food preservation. Engage in the design, development, construction and operation of industrial processes and techniques for food manufacturing.
Disaggregate the production plan: Split production plan in daily, weekly, and monthly plans with clear objectives and targets required.
Manage all process engineering activities: Managing all process engineering activities in the plant keeping track of plant maintenance, improvement and requirements for effective production.
Monitor equipment: Monitoring equipment implies watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
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).
Carry out checks of production plant equipment: Carry out checks of the machinery and equipment used in the production plant. Ensure that the machinery is working properly, set machines before usage, and assure continuous operability of the equipment.
Keep up with innovations in food manufacturing: Latest innovative products and technologies to process, preserve, package and improve food products.
Mitigate waste of resources: Evaluate and identify opportunities to use resources more efficiently with continuously striving to reduce waste of utilities.
Keep up-to-date with regulations: Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current regulations and apply this knowledge in specific sectors.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

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

Food homogenisation: The procedures, machines and reciped used to mix different foodstuffs and solutions by transforming them through high pressure and acceleration processes into an uniform fluid or product. 
Food and beverage industry: The respective industry and the processes involved in the food and beverage industry, such as raw material selection, processing, packaging, and storage.
Food preservation: Deterioration factors, controlling factors (temperature, additives, humidity, pH, water activity, etc., including packaging) and food processing methods to preserve food products.
Food safety standards: Food safety standards (i.e. ISO 22000) developed by the recognised organisations for Standardization dealing with food safety. For example, the ISO 22000 international standard specifies the requirements for an effective food safety management system. It covers interactive communication, system management, prerequisite programs and HACCP principles.

Optional skills and competences

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

Food plant design: Contribute to food plant design by assessing the processes, facilities and equipment needs, including monitoring activities and control.
Lead process optimisation: Lead process optimisation using statistical data. Design experiments on the production line and functional process control models.
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.
Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
Assess haccp implementation in plants: Assess the adequate implementation of HACCP in plants. Assure that plants are operating within the specifications of their written plans for HACCP, sanitation, and processing.
Perform quality audits: Execute regular, systematic and documented examinations of a quality system for verifying conformity with a standard based on objective evidence such as the implementation of processes, effectiveness in achieving quality goals and reduction and elimination of quality problems.
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.
Ensure full functioning of food plant machinery: Ensure and maintain manufacturing process equipment and ensure such machinery operates in a clean, organised environment in compliance with food safety requirements.
Analyse work-related written reports: Read and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.

ISCO group and title

2141 – Industrial and production engineers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Food production engineer – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022