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[1] In China, food tasters are sharing videos that reveal a job much tougher than its dreamy image. The unusual workers are hired by snack brands, food factories and supermarkets. They earn an average of about 10,000 yuan (HK$11,190) a month for their taste-testing duties.
[2] Their formal title is “sensory evaluation engineer”. Their job is to detect the tiniest shifts in flavour. This includes milk-fat concentration and how long the aftertaste lingers. They also judge whether a food product’s appearance and texture stay consistent.
[3] Chinese reports say ice cream tasters can down 40 to 50 items a day in summer. Braised-food tasters go through dozens of meat boxes. One taster from a snack company, Mei Wan, told Jimu News she can taste more than 2.5kg of samples in a single morning. This racks up more than 8,400 KJ, equivalent to an entire day’s worth of calories for an adult. After eating, tasters must write detailed reports. Their feedback can determine whether a product ever makes it onto shop shelves.
[4] Another taster, who uses the pseudonym “Swallow”, spends her days sampling everything from stinky tofu to nuts. She inspects each item for impurities, checks whether shells peel cleanly and screens for spoiling. Before filing her report, she even runs laboratory tests for toxins and micro-organisms. Swallow told The Beijing News that most tasters have backgrounds in chemistry, biology or food engineering. “Many people think this job is easy, but the standards are extremely high,” said Swallow.
[5] Male tasters are not allowed to smoke or drink. Women cannot wear make-up or nail polish. And everyone has to stick to a bland diet to keep their taste buds sharp. Industry insiders say it takes at least three years to train a top-level taster. This is because your taste buds dull with age. Many tasters face a career crisis once they pass the age of 30.
[6] A food taster known online as “Little Grey Who Tries Hard to Eat” said: “Many times after work, I feel like vomiting at the sight of food. But I take tasting seriously. It is my responsibility, and our products must be safe for customers.” The job also carries some health risks, including stomach trouble, developing an aversion to food and weight gain.
[7] Swallow said that she put on 10kg in her first month on the job and now runs every day after work.
Source: South China Morning Post, January 12
