Food Preparation Workers

Most exposed tasks

Highest structured exposure values in this role’s task mix — the work AI systems can already do most of.

No strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Augmentable tasks

Work where AI assists rather than replaces — the productivity frontier of this role.

• Take and record temperature of food and food storage areas, such as refrigerators and freezers.42
• Inform supervisors when equipment is not working properly and when food and supplies are getting low, and order needed items.39
• Assemble meal trays with foods in accordance with patients' diets.35

Most durable tasks

Lowest exposure — typically judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability. This is the human moat.

• Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage.17
• Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures.20
• Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads.23

Task exposure values and classifications come from the versioned data release — they are structured data, not model output. Bars show exposure contribution relative to this role’s task mix.

What this means

A score of 30 puts Food Preparation Workers in the least-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. In practice, exposure this level is about the mix: 0 of 20 analyzed tasks lean automatable, 3 augmentable, and 17 durable. The useful question isn’t “will AI take this job” — it’s which tasks go first, which get faster, and where to reposition time. That’s what the personalized report maps against your actual week.

One next move: lean into the durable core above and adopt AI on the routine remainder before it becomes a mandate.

Lower-exposure adjacent roles

No adjacent role in the current data release is at least 10 points lower with ≥50% skill overlap — we don’t label anything “safer” unless the data supports it.

Labor-market context

• $35,320median wage
• 893,600employed
• 148,000annual openings
• -3.4%projected growth

Context only — labor statistics are not inputs to the exposure score. See methodology.

Related roles

Adjacent by skills or family — no exposure claim implied.

• Cooks, Restaurant 34
• Cooks, Short Order 34
• Fast Food and Counter Workers 36
• Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 38
• Butchers and Meat Cutters 42
• Cooks, Fast Food 26

FAQ — Food Preparation Workers

What does a score of 30 mean for a Food Preparation Workers?

It means that, weighted across the 20 tasks we analyzed for this role, the task mix sits at 30 on a 0–100 exposure scale — in the least-exposed quarter of analyzed occupations. It measures task exposure to current and near-term AI capabilities, not the probability of losing a job.

Which tasks in this role are most exposed to AI?

This role has no strongly automatable task in the current data release.

Which parts of this job are most durable?

The most durable responsibilities are: Store food in designated containers and storage areas to prevent spoilage; Prepare a variety of foods, such as meats, vegetables, or desserts, according to customers' orders or supervisors' instructions, following approved procedures; Mix ingredients for green salads, molded fruit salads, vegetable salads, and pasta salads. Durable tasks typically depend on judgment, relationships, physical presence, or accountability.

Is this score personalized to me?

No — this page shows the occupation-level baseline. Two people with the same title often do different work. The $9 personalized report recalculates the score from the tasks you actually do and builds a concrete 7/30/90-day plan around them.