BY: NADIA ZAIDI
Imagine being paid to eat chips all day, every day.
Seriously.
A job ad in the UK is seeking people who can taste test Walkers chips for a living – well, a part-time living.
PepsiCo UK, the American company that owns the British food manufacturer Walkers, has placed an advertisement for a ‘super tester,’ who would be responsible for determining the quality of potato chips.
It’s taking the snack lovers’ dream to a whole new level.
The only stipulation: you can’t be a smoker. But hey, with all those snacks, how hard can it be to forfeit one vice for the other?
You also can’t have any food intolerances. At least the kinds in most snacks.
Chips are the main food that testers will be eating, but other PepsiCo products are on the list, too.
A super taster is not allowed to consume tea or coffee because it interferes with the palate. Testers also take 20-minute breaks between tests and cleanse their taste buds with fruit.
According to Walkers’ sensory expert, Matt Cullingworth, the niche skills of taste testing are apparent in one of four people.
Applicants must also be able to do odour recognition and give detailed descriptions on taste and must also perform colour tests.
Workers must have their taste buds tested every three months to ensure they are still in good shape.
Job AD:
Part Time Opportunities at Pepsico
Adecco are recruiting Food Testers to work between 9am-5pm Monday to Thursday, a maximum 8 hours per week.
Pay rate £8.51ph
Is this you?
. A non-smoker
. No food intolerances
. Good interpersonal, communication and IT skills
. Prepared to consume a wide variety of foods and beverages
Then this vacancy could be for you!
Being a taste tester isn’t as easy as showing up in your loosest pair of pants for a 9-5 food showdown.
In fact, most taste testers possess educational backgrounds in science or food production. And trying different food variations is not always a pleasant experience. It requires an open mind and an ability to be sensitive yet adaptable.
Let’s put it this way: it’s not the job for the faint of stomachs. Taste testers have to put their personal preferences aside and be unbiased in their likes and dislikes.
