NOC 94140: Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
What process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing do
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.
Main duties
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- Process control operators
- 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.
- Machine operators
- 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.
Job titles under NOC 94140
485 job titles are classified here, including bakery machine operator - food and beverage processing, brewhouse operator, canning machine operator.
- 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.
Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $17.20/hr | $22.50/hr | $32.00/hr |
Toronto ON | $17.60/hr | $20.75/hr | $31.60/hr |
Montréal QC | $17.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $27.00/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $18.50/hr | $22.00/hr | $30.35/hr |
Calgary AB | $16.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $34.00/hr |
Ottawa ON | $19.00/hr | $26.93/hr | $33.00/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $16.00/hr | $20.00/hr | $30.29/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $18.00/hr | $22.60/hr | $33.78/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $19.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $30.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $18.50/hr | $23.00/hr | $27.00/hr |
London ON | $18.20/hr | $22.88/hr | $28.50/hr |
Halifax NS | $17.72/hr | $24.51/hr | $31.03/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $18.00/hr | $21.65/hr | $30.00/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $15.35/hr | $21.00/hr | $37.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $17.53/hr | $26.56/hr | $32.58/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $16.00/hr | $21.50/hr | $30.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $16.50/hr | $21.00/hr | $28.16/hr |
New Brunswick | $16.00/hr | $19.00/hr | $25.00/hr |
Quebec | $18.00/hr | $22.60/hr | $33.78/hr |
Ontario | $17.60/hr | $23.00/hr | $30.00/hr |
Manitoba | $16.00/hr | $21.70/hr | $30.29/hr |
Saskatchewan | $15.35/hr | $25.00/hr | $37.00/hr |
Alberta | $17.00/hr | $25.05/hr | $35.00/hr |
British Columbia | $18.00/hr | $22.00/hr | $30.35/hr |
Using NOC 94140 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 485 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Bakers (NOC 63202)
- Fish and seafood plant workers (NOC 94142)
- Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (NOC 94141)
- Labourers in fish and seafood processing (NOC 95107)
- Labourers in food and beverage processing (NOC 95106)
- Meat cutters and fishmongers - retail and wholesale (NOC 65202)
- Supervisors, food and beverage processing (NOC 92012)
- Testers and graders, food and beverage processing (NOC 94143)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing?
Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing are NOC 2021 unit group 94140. Example job titles in this group include bakery machine operator - food and beverage processing, brewhouse operator, canning machine operator, chocolate refiner.
What TEER is NOC 94140?
NOC 94140 is TEER 4 (High school and on-the-job training). Usually requires completion of secondary school, or several weeks of on-the-job training. TEER 4 and 5 work does not count as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker or Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $22.50/hr, about $44,000 a year full-time, with a range of $17.20/hr to $32.00/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.