You might think that anyone who considers taste-testing pet food is desperate, a bit wacky, or both — but you’d be wrong. The job is actually a highly-skilled one, more like a combination of researcher and taster. Generally, someone with a doctoral degree, a food taster’s main job is testing, not tasting. The job involves evaluating a given pet food’s nutritional value, writing reports, and determining ways to enhance new pet foods. Still, at some point they have to get down to the business of sampling it. Before digging into a bowlful of pet food, the taster first appraises its smell. While many animals wolf down their food, its smell is actually one reason they really like it. After evaluating the smell, it’s time to nibble that kibble. As with all food tasting, testers evaluate the flavor, texture and consistency, and then — thankfully — spit it out. You may be wondering……..is it really necessary to taste pet food? The answer is a resounding yes. Pets can be just as selective about their food as we are. If a pet food taster thinks a particular pet food tastes awful, it’s a safe bet that the pet will think so too. The good news is that the average salary of a pet taster is a respectable $120,000 a year. It kind of makes the job a bit more……..well……palatable.
