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Making extra income just became easier and exciting. Imagine getting paid to enjoy your favorite meal? This article offers you some of the best ways you can get paid to eat.
As I’ve severally mentioned, there are numerous ways to make extra money besides your regular income. Whether you are looking for online opportunities or offline ones, the opportunities are limitless.
For example, one novel way to earn some supplementary income is through becoming a food tester.
That’s right! If you love taking a bite on new types of food now and then, you can easily earn from that. Although many people may find it weird, it is quite possible to get paid to eat. And, it’s a plus for you since you’ll be earning from doing something enjoyable.
In food testing, there are usually two basic categories of food tasters. One category comprises of the professionals who often get jobs as product developers, food scientists, or food technicians.
The other category includes individuals who either work part-time or as freelance food tasters for various companies.
For the professional ones, you need to have at least a bachelor’s degree to get a job. On the other hand, you can still get some taste testing jobs as a freelancer, even without any certifications.
Freelance tasters are only involved in pure food tasting while the former ones do more, including food sampling.
But how and where do you find these food tester jobs and how does it work.
Table of Contents
List of Jobs that Pay You to Eat
Whether a professional or not, here are several ways you can make money eating:
Joining Independent Sensory Testing Companies
These companies operate in a similar manner to market research firms. While the market research firms conduct online and offline surveys for companies and manufacturers, Sensory testing firms deal specifically with food-based studies.
And it’s as easy as joining the various survey sites such as Swagbucks or InboxDollars. Most of them will offer free sign up, and whenever a food testing study that fits your demographic occurs, they invite you to participate.
Depending on how many companies you have joined, you can make some good money to cater to some of your bills.
Some of the Sensory testing firms conducting these studies include:
Apex Life Sciences
This is one of the best paying places you can work as a food taster. Apex Life Sciences is always searching for new food taste testers to hire. So, if you are in need of making extra bucks, and you are good at taste testing, this is one place you can consider.
With Apex Life Sciences lab, you can make as much as $15 per hour working as a taste tester for a maximum of 8 hours a week. At this rate, you can comfortably make around $360 in a month. This is not bad for someone looking to add some extra cash to their income.
Here, your job will include evaluating food products and giving feedback on taste, smell, color, texture or look.
The Consumer Product Testing Centre
The CPTC usually searches for panelists based in Alberta, Canada to participate in their taste studies. These taste studies could include tasting anything from pasta meals, snack products, meat products, sports drinks to chocolate or energy bars.
If you thought it was impossible to get paid to eat fast food, this is a great option for that.
According to their site, the panel participation happens around 3 to 4 times a year. And, an average taste testing session lasts for about 15 minutes, with the average pay per session being around $15.
This might not be much but, an extra income is always welcome.
Contract Testing Incorporated
This company is among the biggest firms in the taste testing industry. The company has partnered with numerous companies, manufacturers and restaurants, making it a massive pool of tasting products.
Here, you will be able to taste test almost every meal or food you can think of. You will have a chance to taste test things like pizza, cookies, soups, crackers, etc.
However, you are only allowed to participate in the taste testing studies, at most five times a year.
See Related: 14 Gig Economy Jobs to Make Money
Become a Food Critic
Another way that can earn you money testing food is becoming a food critic. Numerous food critic jobs can fetch you quite some awesome cash. As a food critic, you will be required to taste test and review meals offered in restaurants and hotels.
And, apart from taste testing various dishes, you will also be needed to offer comments about the atmosphere as well as the services in the restaurant. Mostly, food critics will work for magazines, food websites or newspapers.
You should note, though, that most opportunities are freelance and the competition is also intense for available positions.
Also, you will need to have a degree in English, journalism, communication or some related fields.
The average earnings per year for a food critic can go up to $37,720 with others earning up to over $100,000 a year.
Work as Taste Testers for Food Manufacturers
Besides joining independent sensory testing companies, you can work directly for a food manufacturer. There are some food manufacturers that do not rely on studies from sensory testing firms and hire their taste testers directly.
Some of these manufacturers include:
Schwan Food Company
I know you’ve undoubtedly heard of Schwan Food Company. But, if you haven’t, it’s a popular food company that is located in Marshall, Minnesota. This means if you want to work for them, you must be residing in that location or somewhere near there.
In terms of earnings, they pay an average of $15 per session, one that takes around 15 minutes. As for the taste testing frequency, you have a chance to participate for up to 3 times in a month, or as low as two times a year. All these will depend on your demographics.
McCormick Corporation
If you live in Maryland, McCormick Corporation presents an ideal opportunity for you to get paid to test food. This is a facility based in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and that pays individual consumers to participate in their taste testing sessions.
Their studies take place every three months, which means that you can only participate for up to four times a year. If you are looking for food tester jobs from home, this is one of the companies that offer such opportunities.
When it comes to how much you can earn, it entirely depends on the type of food, and the length of the session.
The National Food Lab
The National Food Lab is yet another company that seeks to create new recipes and products every now and then. They are, therefore in a constant search for food taste testers to taste their various products.
If you live in or near Livermore, California, and you wish to make some money as a taste tester, you can consider checking out this company. They pay an average of $25 or more, for a session of 30 to 50 minutes.
See Related: Ways to Get Paid to Code Online
Earn as a Professional Food & Wine Taster
As a professional food taster, you can get full time, or part-time opportunities to taste food and drinks.
Numerous companies are willing to employ professional food tasters, and their pay is quite generous. For instance, on average, you can make between $30,000 and $60,000 a year as a professional food taster.
If you want to work on a part-time basis, you can make up to $20 an hour. However, as a professional taster, you’ll be required to have great insight and sensory depiction analytical skills to deduce various tastes of food easily.
Mostly, you will have to undergo odor and taste recognition tests to nurture their palate, as well as their sense of taste. This is among the best ways around you can get paid to eat.
See Related: Best Jobs for Introverts to Make Money Alone
Get Paid to Eat by Frozen Food Companies
This is a common trend with various frozen food companies. They usually pay individuals to eat their frozen foods. The purpose of this is to ascertain that their products are consumable, based on their frozen nature.
So, if you need some bucks, and think you are fit to try these frozen foods, you can easily search for such companies and start creating some income.
Apps that Pay You to Eat
Some apps will also help you to make money eating food. These apps can easily be installed in your devices and are an easy way to make quick cash. Some of my favorite ones include:
Servy App
If you love eating and want to get paid for it, Servey App is one great app that pays you to eat. The app allows you to get rewards when you dine or eat out at your preferred restaurant or food chain. And, you can easily install this app either in your Android or iOS device.
You get rewarded when you offer feedback about your dining experiences using the app. The only requirement is to make reports regarding your experience at particular restaurants or food chains.
Seated App
Imagine treating yourself with your favorite meal, and making money out of it? Doesn’t that sound incredible? Well, Seated is an excellent app that allows you to make money just for doing that.
With the Seated app, you will get rewarded for making reservations at exclusive restaurants near you. All you need is to download their free app, install it either on your iOS or Android device and look for available hotel reservations near you.
The app not only helps you to make quick reservations but also allows you to earn from dining. And, the app only features high-end restaurants that are already vetted by their team.
Once you are through enjoying your meal, take a photo of your receipt and upload it to the app. From there, Seated will reward you with up to 30% worth, the cost of the bill.
You can redeem your reward and receive cash credits at various places like Lyft, Starbucks, or Amazon.
See Related: 15 Best Passive Income Apps to Make Money
Dosh
Although this app doesn’t pay you to taste test food, it pays you to dine in participating restaurants. The Dosh app is one of the excellent cashback apps that we have around, and that allows you to get back between 5% and 10% of your bill.
What you need is just to download the app on your device, link your debit or credit card to which the reward will be deposited. Then, eat in a participating restaurant and earn cashback.Every time you dine at a participating restaurant, your Dosh account is credited with your cashback.
Once the balance reaches $15, you can transfer it to your account or PayPal account. This amount will reflect in your account within three working days.
Claim your $10 bonus simply by signing up for Dosh now.
One thing is for sure though, if you can't manage your finances, growing your net worth will be just another financial term you see in books.
One way to ensure that all your finances are in check, is to use the Personal Capital app. I have been using this app to manage all my finances and it has really made my life quite easy.
See Related: Best Weekend Jobs to Consider
Conclusion on Ways to Get Paid to Eat
If you thought you couldn’t get paid to eat, you were definitely wrong. All the above are ways through which you can make money from eating.
Whether you are working as a full-time professional taster or a freelance, once in a while taster, there are numerous opportunities to make a supplementary income.
Join some of these apps, and companies, to make some extra cash enjoying different meals.
Related Resources
- How to Make Money Online: 5 Ways to Make Over Six Figures Online
- 11 Ways to Make Money at School
- 25 Realistic, Easy Ways to Get Free Money Now
