NOC 94143: Testers and graders, food and beverage processing

Official definition · Statistics Canada NOC 2021 v1.0 · statcan.gc.ca ↗

Testers and graders in food and beverage processing test or grade ingredients and finished food or beverage products to ensure conformance to company standards. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, fish plants, meat plants, breweries and other food and beverage processing plants.

Median Pay$25/hrPrevailing median rate

TEER LevelLevel 4PNP streams

Priority StreamGeneral StreamCategory draws

Official Titles66 TitlesGovernment aliases

Interactive Reference Letter Tool

Official Main Duties for NOC 94143

Select the duties you perform in your actual job. Under IRCC guidelines, you must perform at least 60% of these duties for a successful work permit or PR reference letter.

🔎 Check Your Company Job Title66 official aliases

Checklist (6 official duties):Click each to toggle

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IRCC Reference Letter Rule:

Your employer reference letter must confirm you performed the main actions described in the duties above. Avoid copying words directly from the NOC description — officers expect natural job descriptions with specific company context.

Live Match Score⚠ Needs 4 More

0 of 6 selected

0%60% Recommended100%

Below 60% Target (0%)To qualify for NOC 94143, your employer letter should verify at least 4 main duties. Select 4 more to see if your experience matches.

Minimum Needed4 Duties

Current StatusIncomplete

Canadian Labour Market & PR Pathways for NOC 94143

Under Canada's National Occupational Classification (NOC 2021 Version 1.0), Testers and graders, food and beverage processing is categorized under TEER 4. Occupations in this tier typically require secondary school graduation or job-specific on-the-job training.

Express Entry Alignment

Classified under TEER 4, meaning this occupation does not qualify for direct Express Entry general pools. Candidates should focus on employer-driven Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) or federal pilot pathways.

Target Category Status

Currently evaluated under standard General and CEC invitation rounds, or targeted through provincial in-demand lists such as Ontario (OINP), British Columbia (BC PNP), or Alberta (AAIP).

NOC 2016 to NOC 2021 Transition & Equivalency

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Under Canada's previous NOC 2016 classification, this occupation was mapped under the following 4-digit code(s). When preparing your Express Entry profile or work reference letters, you must use the new 5-digit code NOC 94143.

Former NOC 94654-Digit Legacy

Testers and graders, food and beverage processing

VC1 - Code Change

Job Bank Open Data (2025/2026)

Regional Wages Across Canada

Legal Benchmark for LMIA

Under Canadian immigration law, an employer hiring you under an LMIA must pay you at least the median wage listed below for your province.

Province / Territory	Low Wage	Median Wage	High Wage
Canada (National Average)	$17	$25/hr	$34
Newfoundland and Labrador →	$17.88/hr	$21.88/hr	$25.29/hr
Prince Edward Island →	$16.5/hr	$18.5/hr	$23.5/hr
Nova Scotia →	$16.5/hr	$21.4/hr	$25.96/hr
New Brunswick →	$15.65/hr	$21.4/hr	$25.96/hr
Quebec →	$22/hr	$25.78/hr	$34.22/hr
Ontario →	$18/hr	$24/hr	$34/hr
Manitoba →	$16.88/hr	$24.46/hr	$35.51/hr
Saskatchewan →	$18.93/hr	$23.36/hr	$27.91/hr
Alberta →	$16.75/hr	$23.9/hr	$31.6/hr
British Columbia →	$21.35/hr	$26.56/hr	$34.14/hr

Employment Requirements

These are the education, training, and certification standards usually required by Canadian employers for this occupation:

Completion of secondary school is usually required.
Experience as a machine operator or labourer in the food or beverage processing industry may be required.
On-the-job training is usually provided.

Official Job Titles for NOC 94143

66 Titles Listed

If your current job title matches any of these official examples, this NOC code is likely the right choice for your Express Entry reference letter:

beef graderbeer testercheese graderfish gradermilk graderpoultry graderproduct tester - food and beverage processingtobacco graderbacon graderbeer bottling line quality control testerbeverage and bottle inspectorbeverage inspectorbread testerbrewery tester - food and beverage processingbutter graderbutterfat testercan inspector - food and beverage processingcandy inspectorcanned and bottled foods inspectorcapon grader - food and beverage processingcasing grader - food and beverage processingcigar gradercigarette gradercigarette testercookie and cracker testercream graderdairy cream testerdairy grader - food and beverage processingdairy moisture testerdairy product tester - food and beverage processingdairy tester - food and beverage processingdressed poultry graderfeed tester - food and beverage processingfilter tip inspector - tobacco processingfood and beverage processing graderfruit and vegetable grader - food and beverage processinggauger - wineriesgrader - food and beverage processinggrain sampler - food and beverage processingham graderhogshead inspector - tobacco processinghoney grader and blenderkosher inspector - food and beverage processinglamb graderliquor tester - food and beverage processingmashgiach - food and beverage processingmeat gradermilk receiver-testermoisture content tester - dairy productsmoisture content tester - tobacco processingpork graderprocess control checker - food and beverage processingproduce grader - food and beverage processingquality control checker - food and beverage processingseed corn gradersoybean testerstarch tester - food and beverage processingsugar testertenderometer tender - food and beverage processingtest baker - food and beverage processingtobacco leaf gradertobacco sample pullerveal graderwine testerwineries fermentation inspectorwineries gauger

Exclusions (Similar Jobs with Different Codes)

Check this list to make sure your actual job is not classified under one of these related codes:

Agricultural and fish products inspectors (See 22111 Agricultural and fish products inspectors)View NOC 22111→
Food processing quality control technician (See 22100 Chemical technologists and technicians)View NOC 22100→
Food processing quality control technologist (See 22100 Chemical technologists and technicians)View NOC 22100→
Supervisors, food and beverage processing (See 92012 Supervisors, food and beverage processing)View NOC 92012→

Frequently Asked Questions for NOC 94143 (Testers and graders, food and beverage processing)

Essential answers regarding Express Entry eligibility, LMIA prevailing wage compliance, and official reference letter rules.

NOC 94143 is in TEER 4, which is not directly eligible for standard Express Entry pools. However, you can apply through Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) semi-skilled streams or employer-sponsored work permits.

For an LMIA work permit, your employer must offer at least the median wage of $25/hr (or the prevailing median rate in your specific Canadian province of employment).

Under Section 75(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), your employment reference letter must confirm you perform the actions in the lead statement and a substantial number (recommended at least 60%) of the official main duties listed above. You do not need to perform 100% of the duties.

Under Canada's previous NOC 2016 classification, Testers and graders, food and beverage processing was categorized under NOC 9465 (Testers and graders, food and beverage processing). In NOC 2021, it transitioned to NOC 94143 under TEER 4.

Because TEER 4 is not eligible for direct Express Entry, your best routes are employer-supported Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) semi-skilled streams (such as SINP in Saskatchewan, AAIP in Alberta, or MPNP in Manitoba) or federal pilot programs like the Agri-Food Pilot.

Topic Cluster • Manufacturing and Utilities

Related Occupations & Alternative Career Codes

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If your daily responsibilities for Testers and graders, food and beverage processing overlap with other roles, compare duties and prevailing salaries across these closely related NOC codes:

NOC 94142

TEER 4

Fish and seafood plant workers

Labourers in fish and seafood processing perform clean-up, packaging, material handling and other elemental activities related to fish and seafood processing. They are employed in fish and seafood processing and packaging plants.

Median Pay$17.25/hr

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NOC 94141

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Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers prepare meat and poultry for further processing or for packaging for wholesale distribution. They are employed in meat and poultry slaughtering, processing and packing establishments.

Median Pay$23/hr

Duties→

NOC 94140

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Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing

Process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing operate multi-function process control machinery and single-function machines to process and package food and beverage products. They are employed in fruit and vegetable processing plants, dairies, flour mills, bakeries, sugar refineries, meat plants, breweries, and other food and beverage processing establishments.

Median Pay$22.5/hr

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Median Pay$21/hr

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NOC 90010

TEER 0

Manufacturing managers

Manufacturing managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of a manufacturing establishment or of a production department within a manufacturing establishment, under the direction of a general manager or other senior manager. They are employed by manufacturing companies.

Median Pay$52.82/hr

Utilities managers plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of utility companies or services of heating fuel distribution companies. The services provided include treatment of water and waste, distribution of water, electricity, natural gas and heating oil to residential, commercial and industrial consumers, waste disposal and waste recycling. They are employed in public and private sector utilities and in heating fuel distribution companies.

Median Pay$61/hr

Duties→

Next Steps for NOC 94143

Check Your Express Entry Score & Latest Cutoffs

Calculate your exact Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for NOC 94143, explore your TEER 4 immigration pathways, and check recent draw cutoffs.

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NOC data: Statistics Canada NOC 2021 v1.0

Wages: ESDC Job Bank 2025/2026 Open Data

·Last verified: September 2026