The job specialty of Food Inspection and Veterinary specialist is a combination job. You deal with inspection and supervision of food intended for human consumption, and also with veterinary service issues. As a member of the Food Inspection and Veterinary Service team, you will inspect food materials that are designed to be eaten by humans, and also inspect facilities and food for veterinary service activities.
Some of your duties as a Food inspection Veterinary Services Specialist will include assisting in food inspection for human beings, conducting sanitary inspections in commercial and military food processing and preparation facilities, conducting quality assurance and subsistence inspections in various food handling operations, and collecting, transmitting and preparing samples for the laboratory for food testing.
Training for an Army Food Inspection and Veterinary Services specialist begins after nine weeks of Basic Combat training. After boot camp you will progress to individual advanced training, where you will spend an additional nine weeks learning various food inspection methods. You will spend time both in the field and in the classroom, learning about protection and safety of the food supply, and quality assurance food inspection methods. Some of the skills that you will learn include: inspection of Red meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, fresh fruit, and water foods, how to identify and remedy unsafe and unsanitary food preparation situations, and how to inspect mission and operations rations, such as Heat and Serve, and meals ready to eat.
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If you have an interest in food safety, mathematics, biology and chemistry, or have experience in the food services or health industry this may be a good choice of job field for you. As you advance in Food Inspection and Veterinary Specialist program you will be required to train, supervise and assist soldiers more junior in the same career field. At advanced levels of Food Inspection and Veterinary specialist you will be responsible for the inspection and approval of larger military food preparation and dining facilities.
The job skills that you learn as a Food Inspection and Veterinary specialist will allow you to find civilian employment in the FDA, the Department of Agriculture, or other Federal Departments dealing with food safety and inspection. Depending on what area you specialize in you will be able to find a good civilian job as a quality assurance inspector, safety inspector, or other food or vegetable type inspector.