Labourers in food and beverage processing

Overview

Labourers in food and beverage processing perform material handling, clean-up, packaging and other elemental activities related to food and beverage processing. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries and other food and beverage processing and packaging plants.

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

  • Transport raw materials, finished products and packaging materials throughout plant and warehouse manually, or with powered equipment

  • Measure and dump ingredients into hoppers of mixing and grinding machines or mobile tank trucks

  • Feed and unload food and beverage processing machines

  • Feed flattened boxes into forming machines to construct containers

  • Remove filled containers from conveyors and manually pack goods into bags, boxes or other containers

  • Clean work areas and equipment

  • Check products and packaging for basic quality defects

  • Assist process control and machine operators in performing their duties.

Job titles

  • animal feed sack filler
  • bagger - food and beverage processing
  • baker helper
  • bakery labourer
  • bakery products bander
  • bakery products divider - food and beverage processing

Employment prospects

Source: BC Labour Market Outlook 2024 edition

Annual salary

Low

$36,289

Median

$39,626

High

$51,139

Job openings

Use this interactive map to explore job openings in different regions across B.C.

British Columbia

3,228

expected job openings (5-year forecast)

Education and training

Employment requirements

  • Some secondary school education may be required.

Additional information

  • There is some mobility among occupations in this unit group.

  • Labourers in food and beverage processing may progress to machine or process operating positions with experience.

Certification requirements

  • No certification requirements

Post-secondary programs in B.C.

No post-secondary education required

No post-secondary education required. You can work in this career without post-secondary education. Some on the job training may be provided. With additional training or experience, you may be able to progress into higher level, supervisory or management positions.

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