94140 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing

What this occupation covers

Process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing operate multi-function process control machinery and single-function machines to process and package food and beverage products. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries, and other food and beverage processing establishments.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Operate multi-function process control machinery through control panels, computer terminals or other control systems to grind, extract, mix, blend, cook or otherwise process food products and to bag, box or otherwise package food products
• Operate multi-function process control machinery to grind, extract, mix, blend, distill, ferment or otherwise process alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages and to bottle, can or otherwise package beverages
• Observe gauges, computer printouts and video monitors to verify specified processing conditions and make adjustments to process variables such as cooking times, ingredient inputs, flow rates and temperature settings
• Maintain shift log of production and other data.
• Set up and adjust food or beverage processing and packaging machines
• Operate single-function machines to grind, extract, mix, blend, dry, freeze, cook or otherwise process food or beverage products
• Operate single-function machines to box, can or otherwise package food or beverage products
• Check products to ensure conformance to company standards and clear machine blockages as required
• Record production information such as quantity, weight, size, date and type of products packaged
• Perform corrective machine adjustments, clean machines and immediate work areas.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 63202 Bakers
• 94142 Fish and seafood plant workers
• 94141 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• 95107 Labourers in fish and seafood processing
• 95106 Labourers in food and beverage processing
• 65202 Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale
• 92012 Supervisors, food and beverage processing
• 94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing

Excluded from this code

• Bakers (See 63202 Bakers)
• Fish and seafood plant workers (See 94142 Fish and seafood plant workers)
• Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (See 94141 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers)
• Labourers in fish and seafood processing (See 95107 Labourers in fish and seafood processing)
• Labourers in food and beverage processing (See 95106 Labourers in food and beverage processing)
• Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale (See 65202 Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale)
• Supervisors, food and beverage processing (See 92012 Supervisors, food and beverage processing)
• Testers and graders, food and beverage processing (See 94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

applesauce processor operator · assistant brewer - food and beverage processing · assistant miller - food and beverage processing · bacon curer · bagging machine setter - food and beverage processing · bagging machine set-up man - food and beverage processing · bagging machine set-up man/woman - food and beverage processing · Bake-off equipment tender - food and beverage processing · bakery machine operator - food and beverage processing · batter and dough mixer - food and beverage processing · beer carton packer · beer filter operator · beer pasteurizer · beet pulp press tender · beverage-canning machine operator · blanching machine tender · bleacher operator - food and beverage processing · blender - tobacco processing · blender operator - food and beverage processing · bologna maker · bolter operator - food and beverage processing · bone crusher - food and beverage processing · booker - tobacco processing · bottling machine operator

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school may be required.
• On-the-job training is provided.
• Experience as a machine operator in food or beverage processing is usually required for industrial process control operators.
• Experience as a labourer in food or beverage processing may be required for machine operators.