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Food Inspector Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with ... Grain Inspector Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career ...

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN · On-site

$18/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career that directly supports farmers, strengthens rural communities, and keeps America's food supply moving. Why This Role ...

Inspect and bring issues to the attention of management relative to food safety. Checking inbound Produce Loads and Produce in the pick slots utilizing the tablet and an app called "Fresh Check"

Be Seen First

Complete vehicle inspections before departure and after returning * Supervise and direct food-truck team members during setup, service, breakdown, and return * Ensure employees follow the established ...

Warehouse Quality Control Inspector

Chicago, IL

$21 - $23/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Midwest Foods is a wholesale food distributor providing top quality food products to numerous food ... The Warehouse Quality Control inspector is responsible for enforcing food safety practices and ...

Warehouse Quality Control Inspector

Chicago, IL · On-site

$21 - $23/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Midwest Foods is a wholesale food distributor providing top quality food products to numerous food ... The Warehouse Quality Control inspector is responsible for enforcing food safety practices and ...

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN · On-site

$16/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with ... Grain Inspector Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career ...

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN

$16/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with ... Grain Inspector Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career ...

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN · On-site

$16/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with ... Grain Inspector Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career ...

Grain Inspector

Hammond, IN · On-site

$16/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

From the food you eat, to the water you drink, to the medicines you rely on, Eurofins works with ... Grain Inspector Join Eurofins Grain Inspection and turn your passion for agriculture into a career ...

As a Freelance Inspector, you will be responsible for conducting thorough inspections of various products and services to ensure they meet our quality standards. You will work closely with our team ...

Quality Assurance Technician /Inspector

Batavia, IL

$19 - $26/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

In this role, you'll help ensure products meet strict quality and food safety standards playing a ... Train team members on quality procedures, inspection techniques, and GMP/food safety standards What ...

Vehicle Inspector

Hoffman Estates, IL · On-site

$16.75 - $21.50/hr

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Inspect vehicles for signs of wear, tear, neglect, damage, previous repair, mechanical or ... food and petroleum dispensing operations. * * Note: Refer to the Handbook and Policy Manuals for ...

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Showing results 1-20

Food Inspector information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$11.3K

$42K

$64.9K

How much do food inspector jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for food inspector in Chicago, IL is $42,014.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38,600.00 and $44,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a food inspector?

To thrive as a Food Inspector, you need a solid understanding of food safety regulations, microbiology, and public health, usually supported by a relevant degree or certification. Familiarity with inspection tools, laboratory testing equipment, and reporting systems is essential for effective monitoring and documentation. Attention to detail, analytical thinking, and strong communication skills help Food Inspectors identify risks and collaborate with various stakeholders. These skills and qualities are crucial to ensure public safety, regulatory compliance, and the integrity of the food supply chain.

What are some common challenges food inspectors face during inspections, and how can they effectively address them?

Food Inspectors often encounter challenges such as non-compliance with safety regulations, language barriers with facility staff, and time constraints when inspecting multiple sites. To address these issues, inspectors rely on clear communication, detailed checklists, and ongoing training to stay current with evolving food safety standards. Building rapport with facility personnel and maintaining a thorough, objective approach helps ensure that all issues are identified and resolved efficiently, ultimately protecting public health.

What is the difference between Food Inspector vs Food Safety Officer?

AspectFood InspectorFood Safety Officer
Required CredentialsDegree in Food Technology, Microbiology, or related field; certification may be requiredSimilar qualifications as Food Inspector; often requires additional training in food safety standards
Work EnvironmentInspecting food production units, markets, and restaurantsOverseeing food safety compliance, conducting audits, and public awareness
Employer & Industry UsageGovernment agencies, food manufacturing, and inspection departmentsGovernment health departments, regulatory agencies, and food industry

Both Food Inspectors and Food Safety Officers work to ensure food quality and safety, often with overlapping roles. Food Inspectors primarily focus on inspecting food establishments and products, while Food Safety Officers handle broader compliance and public health initiatives. The roles are complementary, with similar qualifications and work environments, but differ slightly in scope and responsibilities.

What is a food inspector?

A food inspector makes sure that all food produced at a farm, processing plant, slaughterhouse, or other food production facility meets rigorous health and safety requirements before shipment. As a food inspector, your duties include performing physical inspections of the food, investigating health, sanitation, and safety practices at a facility, and writing reports based off of your investigations and interviews. You must be able to notice any potential for bacterial or other contamination and be willing to stop production to uphold public safety.

What cities near Chicago, IL are hiring for Food Inspector jobs?

Cities near Chicago, IL with the most Food Inspector job openings:

Infographic showing various Food Inspector job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 72% Full Time, 27% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $42,014 per year, or $20.2 per hour.

$40K/yr

Full-time

PTO

Posted 5 days ago


USDA Forest Service rating

7.4

Company rating: 7.4 out of 10

Based on 120 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

159th of 292 rated public sector bodies


Job description

$5,000 Sign on Bonus, Creditable Service for Annual Leave Accrual, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program,and Referral Bonus Awards are available.
Shifts and species will vary based on assignment.
Employee may be detailed to any shift at any plant in the District.Qualifications:Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement, including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.
Specialized experience:
Specialized experience is experience that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aide, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or similar position with responsibility for sampling, quality control and sanitation in a food manufacturing or production environment, or similar environment for other ingestible items.
See specific grade level specialized experience definitions below.
For the GS-05 Level: Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food or beverages for human consumption, or other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals. You are to show in your resume examples such as applying proper techniques for collecting samples and/or performing field tests and examinations (e.g. identifying abnormalities in the product or production environment and recommending corrective actions), developing written reports and/or reporting findings of results orally (e.g. documenting abnormalities in the product or production environment and communicating those findings to others), and/or skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals (e.g. discussing findings with internal or external contacts regarding the food safety standards established in the production environment), or other similar work making determinations on products for human consumption or the production environment (e.g. ensuring conformance with established standards). Such experience may have been acquired working positions such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid, food inspector, public health inspector, quality inspection specialist, or other related position.
For the GS-07 Level: In addition to the qualifications above, applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level), and incumbents are expected to have performed standard and recurrent duties on an independent basis. Your resume should demonstrate at least 52 weeks of experience in independently carrying out routine, standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or other food for human consumption, and other ingestible substances, such as pharmaceuticals.
For the GS-08 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level). In addition to the qualifications above, experience must include working with the Federal Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products Inspection Acts in order to inspect meat, poultry and egg products; working with basic SSOP and HACCP principles and practices in order to verify plant HACCP and SSOP responsibilities; performing basic mathematics and elementary statistical concepts and methods to perform testing and sampling procedures; and experience in reaching and interpreting conclusions.
For the GS-09 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-08 level). In addition to the qualifications above, incumbents are expected to have experience working at a more independent level than lower graded CSIs, which may include duties such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of the official duty station.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Please view OPM's Qualifications Standards, Consumer Safety Inspector Series, GS-1862.
The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. For additional information, please click here. The below requirements are not an all-inclusive list. Failure to fully meet a functional requirement is not automatically disqualifying.Education:Education may be used to qualify in lieu of specialized experience as described below.
For the GS-05 level: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with major study or at least 24 semester hours/credits in any combination of coursework in the areas of: agricultural, biological, or physical sciences, food technology, epidemiology, home economics, pharmacy, engineering, or nutrition. Specialized government or military training may be creditable if it is related directly to this position.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (with some related coursework, as described in number 2 above) is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.
For the GS-07 Level: One full year of directly related graduate education is qualifying for GS-07.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.
For the GS-09 Level: Two full years of directly related graduate education or a directly related master's degree is qualifying for GS-09.
OR
A combination of education and specialized experience. In this instance, only graduate education in excess of the first 18 semester hours directly related to the work of the position is creditable towards meeting the requirements, along with specialized work experience. The combination must equal 100% of the requirement. For example, if you have 33% of the education requirement, then you will need 67% of the specialized experience requirement.Employment Type: OTHER

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