Food technician jobs in Finland
Food technicians assist food technologists in the deveolpment of processes for manufacturing foodstuffs and related products based on chemical, physical, and biological principles. They perform research and experiments on ingredients, additives and packaging. Food technicians also check product quality to ensure compliance with legislation and regulations.
Food technician - Which skills are essential?
Monitor ingredient storage and expiry dates via weekly reporting leading to good stock rotation and reduction of waste.
Set up machinery and equipment for food production. Make sure that controls, settings, and input requirements are according to the required standards.
Manage reception of raw materials. Receive raw materials from the suppliers. Check for quality and accuracy and move into the warehouse. Make sure that raw materials are adequately stored until they are required by the production department.
Managing all packaging materials be they primary (wrapping, cans, bottles) or secondary (cartons, crates, pallets).
Implement the relevant procedures, strategies and use the proper equipment to promote local or national security activities for the protection of data, people, institutions, and property.
Clean machinery used for food or beverage production processes. Prepare the appropriate solutions for cleaning. Prepare all parts and assure that they are clean enough to avoid deviation or errors in the production process.
Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
Managing all process engineering activities in the plant keeping track of plant maintenance, improvement and requirements for effective production.
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.
Monitor the production line for problems such as pile-ups and jams.
Schedule and perform regular maintenance, cleaning, and repairs of all equipment. Order necessary machine parts and upgrade equipment when necessary to ensure optimal performance.
Technical features of the formulation of ingredients for food products.
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).
Prepare charts and graphs in order to present data in a visual manner.
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.
The identification and characteristics of pathogenic micro-organisms in food and the adequate prevention methods to inhibit its reproduction in food materials.
Quality assurance principles, standard requirements, and the set of processes and activities used for measuring, controlling and ensuring the quality of products and processes.
Structure, quality, nutritional value and/or acceptability of a food product. A food functional property is determined by physical, chemical and/or organoleptic properties of a food. Examples of a functional property may include solubility, absorption, water retention, frothing ability, elasticity, and absorptive capacity for fats and foreign particles.
The respective industry and the processes involved in the food and beverage industry, such as raw material selection, processing, packaging, and storage.
Deterioration factors, controlling factors (temperature, additives, humidity, pH, water activity, etc., including packaging) and food processing methods to preserve food products.
recognize the most relevant factors (chemical, physical, environmental etc) that can alter the food during its storage
Monitoring freezing processes to ensure product is adequately frozen. Assessing temperature levels and ensuring energy efficiency and product refrigeration.
Raw materials and production processes for getting finished food products. Importance of quality control and other techniques for the food and beverage industry.
Food technician - Which skills are useful but not essential?
Conduct experiments, produce sample products, and perform research as part of new food product development (NPD).
Operate process control or automation system (PAS) used to control a production process automatically.
Adjust work schedule in order to maintain permanent shift operation.
The applicable legal rules on temperature, waste materials, traceability, labelling, trading, and the transport of animal origin products.
Check the quality of raw materials by assessing its taste, smell, colour, or any other characteristic depending on the product.
Steps in the canning process line from washing, conditioning and weighing food products, washing and preparing cans, filling cans, as well as other operations in order to obtain the end product.
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.
Keep inventory of goods whether they are goods in the front end (i.e. raw materials), intermediate, or back end (i.e. finished products). Count goods and store them for the following production and distribution activities.
Quality and range of raw materials, half finished products and end products of a specific food 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.
Analyses packaging requirement against the design of the production plan. Perform the analysis considering engineering, economic, ergonomic, and other perspectives.
Analyse lab results and apply them by adapting the production process. Report, review and take appropriate measures if necessary.
Check products for quality on the production line and remove defective items before and after packaging.
ngredients to be added and the required amounts according to the recipe and the way those ingredients are to be administered.
Ensure that finished products meet or exceed company specifications.
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.
Legislation related to the food and feed industry including food manufacturing, hygiene, safety, raw materials, additives, GMOs, labelling, environmental and trade regulations.
Monitoring that specifications such as colour, shape, glaze, texture, weight, depth of coating are met.
Participate in the development of new food products together within a cross-functional team. Bring technical knowledge and perspective to the development of new products. Perform research. Interpret results for food product development.
Conversion of carbohydrates into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process happens using bacteria or yeasts, or a combination of the two under anaerobic conditions. Food fermentation is also involved in the process of leavening bread and the process of producing lactic acid in foods such as dry sausages, sauerkraut, yogurt, pickles, and kimchi.
Observe gauges, video monitors, and printouts to assess if specified processing conditions are in place. Make the necessary adjustments to process variables such as times, inputs, flow rates and temperature settings.
Assist in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in the food chain by working with line operators. Understand current operating procedures and identify best techniques. Help document new procedures and update existing ones.
Calibrate laboratory equipment by comparing between measurements: one of known magnitude or correctness, made with a trusted device and a second measurement from another piece of laboratory equipment. Make the measurements in as similar a way as possible.
Plans shifts of employees to ensure completion of all customer orders and satisfactory completion of the production plan.
Read, organise and evaluate documentation on ingredients from suppliers and co-manufacturers. Identify deficiencies and enquire for clarifications and corrective actions as per regulatory demands.
The large range of combinations of flavours to develop new recipes or products.
Identifying and exploring developments and innovation in technology and materials in the food industry.
The combination of textures for new recipes or products.
Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
Managing resources to ensure sufficient and appropriate trained staff to ensure consistent performance.
Read the technical drawings of a product made by the engineer in order to suggest improvements, make models of the product or operate it.
Food technology: a branch of food science that deals with the production processes to make foods and improve processes aimed at processing foodstuffs.
Methods of cleaning and disinfecting reusable packaging to prevent or remove deposits of organic or inorganic nature of the packaging.
Investigate customer complaints in order to determine the non-satisfactory elements in food products that lead to complaints from customers.
Evaluate and identify opportunities to use resources more efficiently with continuously striving to reduce waste of utilities.
Fermentation processes related to the conversion of sugar to alcohol, gases and acids.
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.
Laboratory based sciences such as biology, chemistry, physics, integrated science or advanced laboratory science.
Choose the appropriate packages for food products taking into account attractiveness and suitability of the package. Use proper packaging for sending it safely and at a reasonable cost. Have awareness that packaging can also influence the product characteristics such as shape, weight or solidity. Balance out various aspects such as cost, attractivity and compliance with regulations and environment protection.
Apply statistical methods from Design of Experiments (DOE) and Statistical Process Control (SPC) in order to control manufacturing processes.
Perform food risks analysis for food safety assurance.
Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.
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 and maintain manufacturing process equipment and ensure such machinery operates in a clean, organised environment in compliance with food safety requirements.
Read and comprehend job-related reports, analyse the content of reports and apply findings to daily work operations.