Army MOS · Medical
640A Food Safety Officer
Overview
A Food Safety Officer manages food inspection personnel, facilities, and equipment used to maintain military food hygiene, safety, and quality assurance under veterinary guidance. The officer conducts sanitary inspections, identifies deficiencies, coordinates food inspection operations, and directs subsistence sampling for nuclear, biological, and chemical contamination testing.
Minimum clearance: Secret
Core Skills
- food safety and quality assurance management
- inspection program planning and oversight
- regulatory compliance and audit readiness
- laboratory test interpretation (food and water)
- risk assessment and mitigation planning
- policy implementation and SOP development
- report writing and technical documentation
- team leadership and supervision
- coordination with regulatory and public health agencies
- incident investigation and root cause analysis
Civilian Software & Tools
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- HubSpot software
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- Marketo Marketing Automation
- Microsoft Access
Civilian Career Paths
- Veterinary
- Public Health
- Food Service
- Project Management
Training & Development
Getting Started
- ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification
- Certified Food Safety Manager (CFSM)
Career Growth
- Certified Professional: Food Safety (CP-FS) · Funded
- Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) · Funded
What the Work Involves
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
Related Occupations
- Food Science Technicians
- Animal Scientists
- Chemists
- Agricultural Technicians
Typical preparation for these civilian roles: a four-year degree or equivalent experience.
Equivalent Roles in Other Branches
Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.
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