"Earning 100 Million Won Annually While Eating Dog Food Instead of Rice" [New Jobs]

Tester tasting animal feed. [Image source=YouTube capture]

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As more households adopt pets, the 'pet food' industry is also experiencing explosive growth. Among these, a noteworthy profession is the 'Pet Food Tester.' Just as a nutritionist designs a balanced diet for humans, these professionals are animal diet experts who formulate nutrients suitable for the constitutions of various animals such as dogs and cats.

Pet Food Testers evaluate the smell, taste, and nutritional content of pet food. They work in various ways, such as being employed as testers by pet food manufacturers or starting their own pet food companies.

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

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Just as people have different food preferences, animals do not eat just any food. They also have likes and dislikes based on the texture, taste, and smell of the food. It would be a waste to spend a lot of money making pet food only for the animals to avoid it. Pet Food Testers are responsible for directly testing and sampling the textures and aromas that animals are most likely to enjoy and conveying this information to researchers.

The global market research firm 'Fortune Business Insights' estimates that the global pet-related industry will grow to $368.88 billion by 2030. The compound annual growth rate is 5.9%, indicating rapid expansion. In South Korea as well, as consumers pay more attention to pet well-being, the pet food market is in an expansion phase. From 2015 to 2022, it grew at an average annual rate of 10.7%, reaching a scale of 1.8 trillion KRW.

'Premium food' considering the health of pets is also being launched.
[Image source=KGC Insam Gongsa]

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Although expensive, the demand for high-quality 'high-end food' is also likely to increase. This means that professions like Pet Food Testers, who quantify the quality of pet food through data, are becoming more important. Overseas, the value of Pet Food Testers has already risen significantly. The professional job media 'Inside Jobs' estimates that Pet Food Testers can earn approximately $34,000 to $100,000 (about 45 million to 134 million KRW).

So, is there a way to work as a 'Pet Food Tester' in South Korea? A representative from the 'Korea Pet Food Education Development Institute,' which supports private education related to pet food, said, "There is no national certification related to pet food yet, but several private institutions issue certificates. Having knowledge about pet food can indeed help when starting a pet food company or getting a job at related large companies like Harim."

To work as a Pet Food Tester, it is important to first understand nutritional components. The institute explained, "Some ingredients are safe for humans but fatal to animals."

They added, "A characteristic of the pet food business is the rapid shift in trends. Not only taste and aroma but also the degree of hardness has changed over time. To become a professional in this field, one must be able to detect and respond to product trends and corresponding recipe changes."

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