| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
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| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Clean and sanitize work areas, equipment, utensils, dishes, or silverware. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Carry food supplies, equipment, and utensils to and from storage and work areas. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Remove trash and clean kitchen garbage containers. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage. |
| Importance: 100 (%) | Description: Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items. |
| Importance: 99 (%) | Description: Receive and store food supplies, equipment, and utensils in refrigerators, cupboards, and other storage areas. |
| Importance: 96 (%) | Description: Weigh or measure ingredients. |
| Importance: 95 (%) | Description: Scrape leftovers from dishes into garbage containers. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Assist cooks and kitchen staff with various tasks as needed, and provide cooks with needed items. |
| Importance: 93 (%) | Description: Vacuum dining area and sweep and mop kitchen floor. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Wash, peel, and cut various foods, such as fruits and vegetables, to prepare for cooking or serving. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Use manual or electric appliances to clean, peel, slice, and trim foods. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Place food trays over food warmers for immediate service, or store them in refrigerated storage cabinets. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Load dishes, glasses, and tableware into dishwashing machines. |
| Importance: 88 (%) | Description: Stir and strain soups and sauces. |
| Importance: 87 (%) | Description: Stock cupboards and refrigerators, and tend salad bars and buffet meals. |
| Importance: 85 (%) | Description: Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers. |
| Importance: 79 (%) | Description: Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Make special dressings and sauces as condiments for sandwiches. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Portion and wrap food, or place it directly on plates for service to patrons. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Prepare and serve a variety of beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Assemble meal trays with foods in accordance with patients' diets. |
| Importance: 71 (%) | Description: Add cutlery, napkins, food, and other items to trays on assembly lines in hospitals, cafeterias, airline kitchens, and similar establishments. |
Nutrition Careers and Jobs Careers and Jobs
Select, Find and Prepare for Nutrition Careers and Jobs Careers and Jobs - all on one page
For health-minded people who want a credentialed nutrition career, not just general wellness coaching. Use the tools below to see which nutrition roles fit your background and goals.
Becoming a Registered Dietitian (RD) requires a specific accredited degree path and passing a national exam, distinguishing it from general 'nutritionist' roles. Use the tools below to explore Nutrition-related job titles sorted by growth rate, salary, or required education. You can start with entry points like Diet Aide, or look ahead to advanced roles such as Registered Dietitian (RD) or Public Health Nutritionist. Along the way, you will see specific certifications, such as Registered Dietitian (RD) Credential, that can help you move up the career ladder.
Here is a short Helper Video 
This page will take you through 4 steps to (1) Select from Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers/jobs, (2) Find Nutrition Careers and Jobs job listings, (3) Prepare for Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers, and (4) Provide Nutrition Careers and Jobs career-specific resources.
Step 1: Select a Career/Job: This page starts with 4 ways for you to identify and select from listings of Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers/jobs:
A) Fastest Growing Nutrition Careers and Jobs Careers - 2023 to 2033 (est.)
These listings are based on job growth estimates and helps you to identify the fastest growing and evolving Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers. Some careers may not initially seem related to Nutrition Careers and Jobs, so relevant Nutrition Careers and Jobs jobs are listed alongside each listing. This can also help us to identify which careers (bottom of the listing) may have negative growth - perhaps due to automation or planned obsolescence.
B) Median Annual Salary U.S. Nutrition Careers and Jobs Careers
These listings are sorted (descending) by median annual salary in the U.S. This may help us to identify our ideal career. We may not qualify at this time for the desired career, but this listing and the results provided can help us to explore job details, as well as learn how to appropriately prepare for the career.
C) Nutrition Careers and Jobs Career Ladders (Educational Requirements)
These listings will help us to identify Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers sorted by educational requirements (with the most difficult to obtain listed first). This may help us to identify career ladders (as we scroll down the list), and help us to get jobs that we qualify for now.
D) Select From a Listing of 95 Nutrition Careers and Jobs Jobs.
The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
Once you have identified a job title of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the chosen career. Information may include (not every career choice includes all of the elements below - updates occur quarterly):
Core Duties: Lists the primary worker-related tasks performed in this occupation
Supplemental Duties: Lists additional tasks that are performed but are secondary to the core duties
Work Activities: Summarizes the broad types of behaviors and actions related to this career
Specific Work Activities: Provides more granular day-to-day activities tied to the work performed
Essential Skills: Provides foundational skills that are core to performing this specific occupation
Transferable Skills: Provides career-portable skills that can be applied across multiple occupations and industries
Day-in-the-Life Summaries: Provides a snapshot of the key activities performed on a typical workday in this career
Knowledge Required: Provides the requirements regarding the acquisition of facts and principles
Software Skills: Lists software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized by category and priority
Preparation Required: Provides a summary of the required experience and education
Education Required: Detailed breakdown of the education required
Training and Experience Required: Detailed breakdown of the training and Training and Experience Required
Local Salary Information: Provides national and local salary ranges
Certifications: Provides appropriate government and private-sector certifications and/or credentials that may be required
Professional Associations: Provides professional associations that are related to the career selected
Job Listings: Provides links to active current job listings for the selected career, along with multiple similar job titles to explore. All information appears on this page without navigating away.
Related Careers to Consider: Lists up to 20 careers that might be of interest to you (related to your initial choice - what they do, what they know, and what they're called), ranked by best fit.
** If you clicked on a link from section D (as described in Step 1 above), you will see one or more links to an occupation that is usually a bit more general than your initial job selection - the link(s) is directly related to the specific job you identified through your prior selections.
*NOTE: It is possible that there may not be a career path identified for the specific job you selected in Step 1. If this is the case, scroll up the page and click on a different career/job.
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that provide detailed (updated) links specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview. Can also assist with coffee chats.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career/Job
18 Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers are listed below (sorted by Percentage Change in Total Job Openings - 2023 to 2033 est.). Nutrition Careers and Jobs-related jobs specific to each career are also provided. This shows which careers are emerging and growing the fastest. Please Scroll and Select below:
| Occupations | U.S. Job Openings 2023-2033 (% change) | Nutrition Careers and Jobs-Related Jobs |
20 Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers are listed below (sorted by U.S. National Median Salary). Nutrition Careers and Jobs-related jobs specific to each occupation are also provided. Please Scroll and Select below::
| Occupations | National Median Salary | Nutrition Careers and Jobs-Related Jobs |
21 Nutrition Careers and Jobs careers are listed (sorted by Education/Preparation Requirements - descending) to provide career ladders. Nutrition Careers and Jobs-related jobs specific to each career are also provided.
|
Education/Preparation Categories: 5 = Usually requires graduate school (e.g., Master's degree, Ph.D., M.D., or J.D.) 4 = Usually requires a four-year Bachelor's degree 3 = Usually requires vocational training, related on-the-job experience, or Associate's degree 2 = Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, but not always Please Scroll and Select below: |
||
| Occupations | Education/Preparation | Nutrition Careers and Jobs-Related Jobs |
Scroll through the picklist (below). There are 95 specific Nutrition Careers and Jobs job titles listed. Select those that may be of interest - you will get active job listing links, along with detailed resources to help you prepare for a career related to that job.
You can use this form two ways:
Filter - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the list of job titles below
Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply explore the list of job titles. There may be many that you might never have considered to be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title (Scroll and Select) :
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Find Job Listings:
Food Preparation Workers.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Food Preparation Workers
Description: Perform a variety of food preparation duties other than cooking, such as preparing cold foods and shellfish, slicing meat, and brewing coffee or tea.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Food Preparation Workers":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
821,200U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
873,800
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
52,600 (6.4%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
149,800
Core Duties
Supplemental Duties
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Keep records of the quantities of food used. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Distribute food to waiters and waitresses to serve to customers. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Cut, slice or grind meat, poultry, and seafood to prepare for cooking. |
| Importance: 57 (%) | Description: Distribute menus to hospital patients, collect diet sheets, and deliver food trays and snacks to nursing units or directly to patients. |
| Importance: 56 (%) | Description: Package take-out foods or serve food to customers. |
| Importance: 42 (%) | Description: Butcher and clean fowl, fish, poultry, and shellfish to prepare for cooking or serving. |
| Importance: 30 (%) | Description: Operate cash register, handle money, and give correct change. |
Work Activities
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 79 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 73 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 72 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 69 (%) | Description: Performing General Physical Activities: Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance. |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills. |
| Importance: 60 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
Specific Work Activities
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Arrange food for serving. | |
| Assess equipment functioning. | |
| Assist chefs or caterers with food or drink preparation. | |
| Clean food preparation areas, facilities, or equipment. | |
| Clean food service areas. | |
| Clean tableware. | |
| Cook foods. | |
| Cut cooked or raw foods. | |
| Distribute resources to patrons or employees. | |
| Measure ingredients. | |
| Mix ingredients. | |
| Move equipment, supplies or food to required locations. | |
| Operate cash registers. | |
| Package food or supplies. | |
| Prepare foods for cooking or serving. | |
| Prepare hot or cold beverages. | |
| Present food or beverage information or menus to customers. | |
| Process customer bills or payments. | |
| Record operational or production data. | |
| Remove trash. | |
| Report information to managers or other personnel. | |
| Serve food or beverages. | |
| Stock serving stations or dining areas with food or supplies. | |
| Store supplies or goods in kitchens or storage areas. | |
Knowledge Required
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
Day-in-the-Life Summaries
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas. |
| Activity: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects. |
| Activity: Communicate with others about operational plans or activities. |
| Activity: Dispose of waste or debris. |
| Activity: Distribute materials, supplies, or resources. |
| Activity: Execute financial transactions. |
| Activity: Maintain operational records. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Monitor equipment operation. |
| Activity: Move materials, equipment, or supplies. |
| Activity: Package objects. |
| Activity: Prepare foods or beverages. |
| Activity: Prepare mixtures or solutions. |
| Activity: Provide food or beverage services. |
| Activity: Provide information to guests, clients, or customers. |
| Activity: Stock supplies or products. |
Software Skills
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
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| Emerging Tech Skills | |||||||||||
| Office suite software: | |||||||||||
| Microsoft Office software | |||||||||||
| Spreadsheet software: | |||||||||||
| Microsoft Excel | |||||||||||
| General Software Tools | |||||||||||
| Computer based training software: | |||||||||||
| Quizlet | |||||||||||
| Data base user interface and query software (scroll table below): | |||||||||||
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| Video creation and editing software: | |||||||||||
| YouTube |
Preparation Required
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
Education Required
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 69.5 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 22.4 (%) | Level of Education: Some College Courses |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.2 (%) | Level of Education: Doctoral Degree |
| Frequency of Attainment: 2.7 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.2 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) |
Training and Experience Required
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 34.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 27.8 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 25.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 6.7 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 2.7 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 8 years, up to and including 10 years |
Local Salary Information
Select a State (scroll and Select) :
Please select a State to see State and National Salaries
Certifications
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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ServSafe Food Handler
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Professional Associations
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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American Malting Barley Association (AMBA)
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United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW)
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Job Listings
| Job Listings and Similar Occupational Titles - scroll and click to identify common requirements, keywords, and skills in current job listings |
Related Careers to Consider
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources
This section contains detailed external resources appropriate to "Food Preparation Workers". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Videos
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Job Description
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
Interviews
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Step-by-Step
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Food Preparation Workers
LinkedIn®
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
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