{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T19:41:05Z","timestamp":1754163665818,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]],"date-time":"2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745884800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]],"date-time":"2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1745884800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"name":"Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Coimbra"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Eur Food Res Technol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:p>The food processing industry is a vital sector in Europe contributing significantly to the economy and ensuring food safety and security for consumers. Identifying and addressing the gaps between occupations, qualifications, and certification of professionals is essential for policymakers, educators, and industry stakeholders to develop effective strategies for training and recruiting qualified workers in the food processing sector. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the occupations, qualifications, and certifications of professionals in the European food processing sector, and to identify gaps or inconsistencies in the existing requirements. This study used desk research, and standardized classification systems (ESCO, ISCO, ISCED, EQF) were used to analyze food processing occupations, qualifications, and certifications in Europe. Occupational data were collected from ESCO, while vocational and academic qualifications were collected from national agencies and the ISEKI-Food Association. The Jaccard Similarity Index was used to assess skill overlap between occupations, and Pearson\u2019s correlation was used to examine relationships between qualifications, industry focus, and economic indicators. A frequency analysis was conducted to identify common academic degree titles. Regulated professions were acquired from the European Commission\u2019s database, and certifications were recognized by searching for them online. This review confirmed that there are significant variations in the qualifications and certifications required for food processing occupations across different European countries. These variations are likely influenced by factors such as industry size, national specificities, and regulatory requirements. Additionally, there is no full correspondence between occupations and qualifications. The regulation of professions is limited to a few countries, specifically for Food Technologists and Food Inspectors, with heterogeneous requirements.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00217-025-04724-y","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]],"date-time":"2025-04-29T09:26:53Z","timestamp":1745918813000},"page":"1629-1642","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["European food processing: occupation, qualification, and certification nexus"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"251","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2488-0914","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Costa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5185-2260","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carmen","family":"de Vega","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0853-036X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luis","family":"Mayor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"4724_CR1","unstructured":"FDE (2023) EU food and drink industry: data and trends\u2013 2023 EditionFood Drink Europe"},{"key":"4724_CR2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"739","DOI":"10.22434\/IFAMR2020.0146","volume":"24","author":"M Rao","year":"2021","unstructured":"Rao M, Bast A, de Boer A (2021) European private food safety standards in global agri-food supply chains: a systematic review. 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