How to Become a Food Safety Officer

About Food Safety Officer

Food Safety Officer is a professional who is responsible to analyze food samples collected from various places for inspection. The major purpose of the analysis of food sample is the identification of any hazardous effect of a food product, suspicious material in food or raw material used for its manufacturing.

Based on the results, the Food Safety Officer can issue a notice to the manufacturer, distributor or the seller of the food product for the usage of hazardous food products or raw material.

Other job roles of a Food Safety Officer include surprise visit at hotels, restaurants and food industry for inspection of food items and to survey if all safety rules and guidelines are followed while manufacturing the food product or not.

In India, the State Government or Central Government hires a Food Safety Officer at an Administrative Post. The recruitment is done based on State Civil Services (SCS) examination in the concerned state.

Eligibility to become Food Safety Officer

The minimum eligibility criteria to choose a job role as a Food Safety Officer is given below:

• The candidate must hold a Bachelor’s degree or a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline like B.Sc/ B.Tech in food technology/ dairy technology/ biotechnology/ agriculture Science/ biochemistry etc from a recognized institute.
• Those who wish to work as a scientist must hold a PhD degree in a relevant discipline.
• Candidates must have some years of experience in the related field.

Career Path

After acquiring the relevant degree, the candidate must apply for the job post of Food Safety Officer. Candidates can apply for SCS entrance for the post of Food Safety Officer in a respective state for government job

The selection will be done on the basis of performance in the entrance test and personal interview rounds.

The notification for recruitment is released on the websites newspapers and media for different states. Candidates must regularly check for job posts to apply. 

Types of Job Roles Food Safety Officer

A Food Safety Officer is hired for different types of job roles. Some of the job roles that a candidate can choose form is given below: -

Health Inspector

A health inspector visits restaurant, hotels, food manufacturing industries, bakeries etc to check the food hygiene and the quality of material used. They also inspect the hygiene of workers, kitchen area, utensils etc.

They can charge fine to the owner of the food manufacturer, hotels or restaurants in case any ill activities carried out at the respective place 

Food Scientists

A Food scientist examines food samples to study the processing of foods and its deterioration. He/ She analyses the food sample to check for any poisonous chemical or material used in the food. They also find solutions for packaging and preservation of food.

Food Technologist

A Food Safety Officer as technologist ensures that strict hygiene food safety standards are followed during food preparation and packaging. They monitor the use of additives and preservatives in food items and also test and examine food samples. Based on testing and experiments they write reports.

 Food and Drug Administrator (FDA)

The Food and Drug Administrator job role is to protect public health by ensuring the safety if food products and also to reduce the harmful effects of regulated tobacco products.

Employment Sector or Industry

A Food Safety Officer is an Administrative Level Post in India They are hired in different departments of Food Safety and Health, Government of India. The employment sectors include:

• Central Government
• State Government
• Agriculture Sector
•  Pharma Industry

Top Recruiting Companies/ Agencies/ Organizations

Check the list of top recruiters that hires a Food Safety Officer in India:

• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
• State Public Service Commission (SPSC)
• Department of Food Safety and Health, Government of India

Pay Scale/Salary of Food Safety Officer

Payscale of a Food Safety Officer may vary according to the job roles and responsibilities. The payscale of different jobs roles of a Food Safety Officer is given in the following table: -

Books & Study Material to Become Food Safety Officer

Check the list of some of the best books for Food Safety Officer: -

• A Competition Book For Food Safety Officer by Mrs. Durvesh Kumari & Dr. S.K. Goyal Er. Suresh Chandra
• Textbook of Food Science & Technology by Avantina Sharma
• Food Microbiology by William C Frazier), Dennis C Westoff), K N Vanitha
• Food Safety Officer  with Free Objective ( Khadya Suraksha Aadhikari book )
• Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) in Food Technology by P.M. Kotecha (Author)

Pros of becoming a Food Safety Officer

• It is a reputed job role in India as a Food Safety Officer is hired at an administrative level.
• The pay scale of a Food Safety Officer is decent
• As a Food Safety Officer, you get rights and responsibilities to take important decision related to food.

Cons of becoming a Food Safety Officer

• To become a Food Safety Officer in India you need to clear central or state-level entrance exam like SSC.
• The job role is usually offered to candidates with certain years of experience in the relevant field.
• The job role is challenging as the Food Safety Officer is expected to take some instant decisions.
• A lot of coordination is required between the organization, consumers and authorities to take some decisions.