Employee’s name: Ian Brown
Organization: Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Position: Microbiology Analyst
Placement start date: November 2016
School and program: UWO, Microbiology and Immunology [Ian completed a 16 month internship as a Organiz Laboratory Technician at Environment Canada during his undergraduate degree]
1. Why did you choose to work in the food and beverage industry?
I chose to work in the food industry because the safety of food is one of the most important applications of microbiology there is and the industry offers a lot of opportunity for career growth.
2. What advice do you have for someone who would like to be in your job one day?
If you’re in school right now, getting an internship in any lab to gain some experience will be a huge help to your resume after you graduate. There are lots of job postings in the quality assurance/ quality control field for the food and beverage industry, so keep applying until you can get your foot in the door and gain more experience.
3. How did you get where you are today? What kind of training/education did you do?
I went to the University of Western Ontario for Microbiology and Immunology. After I graduated, I worked weekends in a microbiology lab in a food manufacturing facility, where I eventually was hired on full-time. After working there for four years, I applied to work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a Microbiology Analyst.
4. What’s the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is getting to work in the lab every day and getting the chance to apply what I learned in university to my daily work.
5. What’s your favourite made-in-Ontario food or beverage?
Dr. Oetker has a facility in London and they probably make the best frozen pizzas you can get. 🍕
