Food safety inspector jobs in Finland
Food safety inspectors carry out inspections in food processing environments from a food safety standpoint. They are part of official control bodies who check and control food products and processes to ensure compliance with regulations and laws governing safety and health.
Food safety inspector - Which skills are essential?
The applicable legal rules on temperature, waste materials, traceability, labelling, trading, and the transport of animal origin products.
Give instructions to subordinates by employing various communication techniques. Adjust communication style to the target audience in order to convey instructions as intended.
Define quality assurance targets and procedures and see to their maintenance and continued improvement by reviewing targets, protocols, supplies, processes, equipment and technologies for quality standards.
Understand foodborne illnesses and poisoning as to prevent public health problems.
The set of health, safety and hygiene standards and items of legislation applicable in a specific sector.
Scientific background of food safety which includes preparation, handling, and storage of food to minimise the risk of foodborne illness and other health hazards.
Oversee all personnel and processes to comply with health, safety and hygiene standards. Communicate and support alignment of these requirements with the company's health and safety programmes.
The causes of food poisoning and spoilage, and the preservation methods of food products so as to prevent toxicity from customers.
Managing communications with regulatory authorities for the food industry for all aspects of food safety, limits on potentially hazardous ingredients, labelling requirements and legislation.
Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Perform safety audits and inspections on workplaces and workplace equipment. Ensure that they meet safety regulations and identify hazards and risks.
Managing the use of additives or preservatives for food.
Examine if food or beverages are safe for human consumption. Verify the right levels of key ingredients and the correctness of the label declarations and the levels of nutrients present. Ensure samples of food and beverages comply to specific standards or procedures.
Ensure that goods are labeled with all necessary labeling information (e.g. legal, technological, hazardous and others) regarding the product. Ensure that labels respects the legal requirements and adhere to regulations.
Investigate and report on inspection procedures, techniques, equipment and materials.
The religious and cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting as to not mix meat parts with other parts that may inhibit religion practitioners from eating the meat.
Legislation related to the food and feed industry including food manufacturing, hygiene, safety, raw materials, additives, GMOs, labelling, environmental and trade regulations.
Compose routine reports; identify appropriate forms or documents to record data from manual inspections and/or electronic systems. Write clear observations as required. A written report is usually a summary of readings from the routine performance of the reticulation system.
Assess samples from a range of sources to draw analyses. For example, microorganisms detection, chemical analysis, and parasitological analysis.
Carry out food safety checks in order to assure compliance with requirements, regulations, and other good food manufacturing practices.
Regularly attend educational workshops, read professional publications, actively participate in professional societies.
Conduct regulatory oversight activities inside plants in matters relating to areas of consumer matters, e.g. misbranding, consumer protection, etc.
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.
Assurance of a high level of food safety within the EU through coherent farm-to-table measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring an effective internal market. The implementation of this approach involves various actions, namely: assure effective control systems and evaluate compliance with EU standards in the food safety and quality, within the EU and in third countries in relation to their exports to the EU; manage international relations with third countries and international organisations concerning food safety; manage relations with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and ensure science-based risk management.
Interpretation of laboratory tests for parameters affecting food safety taking into account risks associated with physical, chemical, and biological hazards in 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 regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
Quality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.
Develop proposals and take appropriate decisions taking into account economic criteria.
Work in cold storage and deep freeze facilities. Cooling rooms are around 0°C. Resist temperatures of -18°C in meat processing freezer facilities as required by law, except for the slaughterhouse, where room working temperatures are below 12°C by law.
Understand cultural or religious rules and traditions regarding the slaughter of animals.
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.
The respective industry and the processes involved in the food and beverage industry, such as raw material selection, processing, packaging, and storage.
Laboratory based sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, integrated science or advanced laboratory science.
recognize the most relevant factors (chemical, physical, environmental etc) that can alter the food during its storage
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current regulations and apply this knowledge in specific sectors.
Lead inspections and the protocol involved, such as introducing the inspection team, explaining the purpose of the inspection, performing the inspection, requesting documents, asking appropriate questions, and maintaining a high level of professionalism when investigating subjects.
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.
Food safety inspector - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Handle stressful and challenging work conditions in a limited time frame to ensure qualitative food and beverage products are created in time.
Check the quality of raw materials by assessing its taste, smell, colour, or any other characteristic depending on the product.
Check bottles for packaging. Apply bottle testing procedures to verify if the bottle is fit for containing food and beverage products. Follow legal or company specifications for bottling.
Speak one or more foreign languages in order to communicate commercial and technical issues with various suppliers and clients.
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.
Participate in the decision-making around production and processing techniques, marketing, availability, utilization and consumption of food, in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives to influence the operation of the food and agriculture system. Food policymakers engage in activities such as regulation of food-related industries, establishing eligibility standards for food assistance programs for the poor, ensuring safety of the food supply, food labeling, and even the qualifications of a product to be considered organic.
Communicate in foreign languages to facilitate international trade operations such as the importation of food and beverages.
Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
Assess environmental parameters such as temperature and humidity at the workplace for food products. Assure suitable conditions for production processes, plants, laboratories, as well as storages.
Interact with food processing professionals to obtain correct information about their work and actions.
Assess quality characteristics of food products in terms of the main properties (e.g. physical, sensorial, chemical, technological, etc.) for raw materials, half-finished products, as well as finish products.
Investigate customer complaints in order to determine the non-satisfactory elements in food products that lead to complaints from customers.
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.
Have a solid understanding of policies, strategies, institutions and regulations concerning food.
Collaborate in a team with other food processing professionals in service of the food and beverages industry.
Analyse characteristics, composition, and other properties of food products at reception.
Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
Interpret data from different sources, like market data, scientific papers, and customers requirements in order to research development and innovation in food sector.
Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.