Food Science Technician
Jemma's job title is Process Support Technologist at Premier Foods
I work at the Mr Kipling factory. I cover cakes and I do some work with ready-to-use icing. My job is so wide-ranging, no two days are the same – there is just so much that goes on between farm and fork!
My role covers many different things, from developing new recipes to tracing and recording allergens. This can involve completing the relevant process paperwork that we need, writing product information and writing recipes. I also liaise with factory staff, the new product development team and wider teams. And I’m responsible for the traceability of new ingredients.
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I also do shelf-life validations. If we have a new product or we are relaunching a product, we have to do taste checks to see if it’s acceptable at different stages of its life. We normally do it at start of life, middle of life, end of life and then end of life +7 days, but for some it goes to end of life +21 days, and they are definitely not as enjoyable!
I work in a team of 10-12 people in the technical group. In my process team there is me and one other person, but we work with everyone in the Technical Department. It is great being in a team because you can access so many different levels of knowledge. Everyone shares their experience and knowledge to solve problems and so that everyone can grow.
I have two years left of my degree, so I am focusing on that. There are so many different opportunities in the food industry, at all levels, whether I want to stay in technical and progress into a management position or explore different areas of the food industry. Having that work experience and the qualifications has set me in good stead.
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