Wash, peel and cut produce
Wash the fruits and vegetables, peel them, and then cut them up for cooked dishes or salads.
Career profile
Food Preparation Worker
Food preparation workers get ingredients ready for cooks and assemble dishes served cold.
Uncut fruits and vegetables and bulk goods are the starting point. Turning them into amounts the kitchen staff can work with is your job.
A day in the life
Weigh ingredients and portion food
Use a scale to weigh ingredients and divide food into single portions so it's ready to serve.
Put away deliveries, flag shortages
Carry incoming shipments to their storage spots and tell the shift lead when supplies start running low.
Clean and sanitize your station
Wash the hand tools and disinfect the kitchen equipment along with the surfaces you used for prep.
Quick facts
Learn on the job
United States
$16.98/hour
United States · May 2025
3% decline
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Learn on the jobUsually several weeks; no formal education credential typically required.
Pay
$16.98/hourNational median; $35,320 annual equivalent.
Outlook
3% decline135,700 projected annual openings, all from worker replacement.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like working with your hands.
- You can repeat a task carefully.
- You listen closely when coworkers need something.
Things to weigh
- Standing, lifting, cuts, and slippery floors are real concerns.
- Part-time hours and weekend shifts are common possibilities.
Where AI may help
Powered slicers help process ingredients.
What people still lead
You still handle food, portion it, and keep equipment clean.
What we can’t predict yet
How much preparation stays in the kitchen depends partly on purchasing precut ingredients.
Pay in context
Earnings
Compare hourly rates and scheduled hours; part-time work is common.
The wage spread
In May 2025, the bottom 10% earned below $12.41/hour; the top 10% exceeded $21.80. These are not career stages.
Workplace affects the comparison
Hourly medians: educational services $17.89; grocery and specialty food retailers $17.26; food services and drinking places $16.67.
Getting started
Start in a prep job
- What the route involves
- Learn food handling and sanitation from an experienced worker.
- What it can lead to
- Build kitchen skills while employed.
- What to check
- Some employers require or prefer a diploma.
Train through Job Corps
- What the route involves
- Study culinary arts, practicing ingredient preparation, workspace cleaning, and commercial equipment use.
- What it can lead to
- Build preparation skills for food-service employment and a foundation for further culinary training.
- What to check
- Job Corps generally serves eligible low-income people ages 16–24; admissions staff determine eligibility. Culinary training requires introductory coursework, academic requirements, and written and practical tests. A diploma or equivalent can be earned there.
Cooks or kitchen managers direct the work.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get consistent
Make portions accurately and learn where supplies belong.
Handle more of the prep
Learn additional equipment and track ingredient use.
Move toward cooking
Cooking skills can lead to assistant or line cook work.
Where you can work
School cafeterias
Schedules may be more regular and limited to the academic year.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Hospital kitchens
Assemble meal trays to match patient diet sheets, sometimes along a tray assembly line.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Using ready-to-eat ingredients at home, measure four equal salad portions and clean your workspace. Notice whether you enjoy the repetition and keeping quantities consistent.
Stay safe: Use washed produce and ingredients that need no cooking or knife work.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 35-2021.00 — Food Preparation Workers. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food Preparation Workers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Job Corps. Culinary Arts. Accessed 2026-10-02.
- Job Corps. Questions. Accessed 2026-10-02.