How to become a Food Safety Manager

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 食品安全管理师

Also called: Cold Chain Food Safety Officer

Controls food safety for ingredients, food, related products and staff in food manufacturers, food service businesses and food retailers.

Main tasks

• Setting up a food safety management system and writing rules in line with the law
• Applying for food production or trading licences
• Training staff in food safety knowledge and skills and managing staff health
• Managing hygiene at production and trading sites
• Managing the safety of ingredients, food and related products
• Managing food through the whole process from buying, production, storage and transport to sale and food service
• Running regular self checks and keeping traceability, recall, sample retention and documentation in order
• Working with inspectors and helping handle food safety incidents

Ways in

• Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Food and Drug Supervision and Administration (490209). Vocational major 490209 Food and Drug Supervision and Administration (食品药品监督管理), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Food Compliance Management.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Food Nutrition and Health (490103). Vocational major 490103 Food Nutrition and Health (食品营养与健康), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Sports Nutrition Consulting and Guidance; Food Inspection Management.; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Food Quality and Safety (490102). Vocational major 490102 Food Quality and Safety (食品质量与安全), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Certification Personnel Qualification; Food Compliance Management; Grain and Agricultural Food Safety Assessment; Rapid Testing of Edible Foods.; Secondary vocational school (中职) major: Drug and Food Testing (690204). Vocational major 690204 Drug and Food Testing (药品食品检验), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Rapid Testing of Edible Foods; Food Inspection Management.

Pay · AI and this job

• Median pay in China: CN¥51,000 a year (2025).
• Middle half: CN¥39,200 to CN¥69,200. One in ten earn less than CN¥31,700 and one in ten more than CN¥93,200.
• This is the figure for the mid group Accommodation and Food Services Workers, not for this job alone.
• National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
• Guangzhou only: median CN¥67,966 a year (2025), middle half CN¥66,240 to CN¥80,065.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

• The census group Accommodation and Food Services Workers holds 4.57% of everyone employed in China; 53.3% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
• 37.7% are under 35, 52.3% are 35 to 54 and 10% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
• Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Related jobs

• Pastry Chef (Western)
• Chinese Cuisine Chef
• Chinese Pastry and Dumpling Chef
• Western Cuisine Chef
• Waiter and Waitress
• Nutrition Meal Planner

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Food Safety Manager?

Ways in include: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Food and Drug Supervision and Administration (490209); Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Food Nutrition and Health (490103).

How much does a Food Safety Manager earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥51,000 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Accommodation and Food Services Workers. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥67,966 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of a Food Safety Manager?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
• Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026