Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders

Operate or tend cooking equipment, such as steam cooking vats, deep fry cookers, pressure cookers, kettles, and boilers, to prepare food products.

The occupation "Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders" faces a significant automation risk, with a base risk calculated at 70.6%. This high susceptibility is largely due to the repetitive and routine nature of many of the key job tasks associated with this role. For example, tasks such as cleaning, washing, and sterilizing equipment and cooking areas, which heavily involve physical labor and consistent procedures, can be efficiently replicated by automated cleaning systems. Additionally, reading work orders, recipes, or formulas to set cooking parameters is information processing that modern automation systems and artificial intelligence can perform with high accuracy and efficiency. Observing gauges, dials, and product characteristics, as well as adjusting controls to maintain specific conditions, are tasks that rely on real-time data monitoring—something programmable logic controllers and automated sensors are specifically designed to do. While many aspects of this occupation are automatable, certain tasks remain more resistant to automation due to their nuanced requirements or the necessity for human decision-making and physical intervention. For instance, placing products on conveyors or carts and monitoring their flow requires adaptability and real-time responses to irregularities, which may be challenging for current automated solutions, especially in less standardized work environments. Operating auxiliary machines and equipment, like grinders and molding presses, involves managing diverse toolsets and handling unexpected malfunctions or adjustments, which automation may not fully address without significant customization. Similarly, activating agitators and paddles to mix or stir ingredients—then stopping machines precisely when mixtures reach the desired consistency—can rely on subtle sensory judgments (such as visual cues or texture) that are not easily automated. A key bottleneck in automating this occupation lies in the requirement for originality, though its influence is relatively minimal. The role's skill profile shows that originality—identified at levels of only 2.0% and 1.5% significance—does not constitute a core part of daily responsibilities. Thus, most tasks do not require creative problem-solving or invention, further promoting the adoption of machines and automated systems to replace human workers. Nevertheless, the presence of any level of originality, even if minor, suggests that some elements—possibly involving unique troubleshooting or adjustments for novel production requirements—still necessitate a human touch. Overall, the high automation risk reflects the job’s primary reliance on routine and programmable actions, with only a few resistant tasks requiring direct human engagement.