FoodGrads

Hosted by CareersNOW! partner, FoodGrads’ Nicole Gallace speaks to industry professionals about their career journey in Ontario’s food and beverage processing sector. 

Watch recordings of past CareersNOW! Student and Jobseeker Career Mentorship Series sessions with leading industry professionals.

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SKILLED TRADES

Skilled trades are positions that require a special skill, knowledge or ability which can be obtained at a college, technical school or through specialized training e.g., apprenticeship. In the food and beverage manufacturing industry these include: Maintenance Mechanic, Millwright, Electrician, Plumber and Boiler Operator.
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SKILLED TRADES

Skilled trades are positions that require a special skill, knowledge or ability which can be obtained at a college, technical school or through specialized training e.g., apprenticeship. In the food and beverage manufacturing industry these include: Maintenance Mechanic, Millwright, Electrician, Plumber and Boiler Operator.
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BECOMING AN AUDITOR / FOOD SAFETY

Food safety professionals ensure the quality and safety of food and beverages products. Auditors play an integral role in verifying proper food safety practices are in place and determine if the production environment is safe, in addition to ensuring hazards are properly identified, controlled and eliminated.
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / R&D

Food Technologists, Product Developers and R&D professionals are responsible for creating the food and beverage products available in grocery stores and restaurants. These professionals decide how a product tastes, its shelf life, safety regulations and even assist in making the appropriate packaging.
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FINANCE & ACCOUNTING

The food and beverage manufacturing industry in Canada employs over 280,000 people at 7,600+ businesses. These businesses achieved $117.8 billion in sales in 2019 which was managed by finance and accounting professionals such as Plant Controllers, Chief Financial Officers, Cost Accountants and Finance Managers.
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HUMAN RESOURCES

Food and beverage manufacturing businesses have facilities employing hundreds of professionals across multiple departments. From plant employees to corporate and administrative functions—there are over 280,000 people employed across Canada. HR Managers, Recruiters, Benefits Specialists are just some of the roles in demand.
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PRODUCTION / OPERATIONS / CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Production professionals ensure the plant is running successfully at maximum capacity, in addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the facility. To build and maintain improvement processes, food production facilities also require Continuous Improvement professionals—Production Manager, Operations Supervisor, Six Sigma Specialist are just a few of these positions.
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SANITATION / HEALTH, SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL

Sanitation professionals keep the plant clean and safe. These professionals ensure product is processed on clean machinery, reducing or eliminating the risk of microbe, pest and allergen,
and related issues. Health & Safety professionals are critically important to a successful business preventing workplace accidents or injury. The impact on the environment is also within the scope of a professional in this career focus area.

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COMMUNICATIONS / FOOD WRITER

Food is important to everyone and consumers expect to be informed on different issues related to agriculture/raw ingredients, processing and end products. Professionals that can effectively communicate information with a depth of subject matter expertise are essential. Roles include Director of Communications and Food and Agriculture Writer.
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ENGINEERS (PACKAGING, FOOD, MECHANICAL)

A designer and builder—an engineer—is an essential role in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. Engineers lead complex jobs of developing food production
processes through innovation, automation, robotics and new technology. From Industrial,
Electrical, Mechanical, Packaging, Food—add the word Engineer—afterwards and you have some of the most in-demand positions in the industry.

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SALES & MARKETING

Sales and Marketing professionals are the champions of finished food and beverage products ensuring a business achieves its targets in domestic and export/global markets. Positions in this career focus area range from Sales Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Business Development Manager to Technical Sales Representative where a food science degree may be required to provide solutions to customers.

Thank you to the following companies for sharing their in-house experts with CareersNOW! Mentorship series attendees.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

“I never lost focus of what I was looking for, so the first thing I would tell anybody is number one, know what you are looking for. I have my background in food science and I’ve worked as QA Specialist and as a Training and Development Specialist. If there’s anything I love, it is to work with people.”

– Morolayo Mould, CareersNOW! Mentor and Health & Safety Supervisor at KERRY CANADA

Inspired to start your career in food and beverage processing?  We are the Ontario’s largest manufacturing sector employer!

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