Taste Panel Coordinator

Overview

We are excited to introduce a new opportunity for a Taste Panel Coordinator to join our quality-focused team who are passionate about creating delicious, nutritious meals, desserts and snacks that consistently delight our customers.

Our team is committed to continuous quality improvement through a proactive, responsive and collaborative approach.

This hands-on role is central to our sensory evaluation process. You’ll be the driving force behind our daily taste panels, helping ensure our products meet the highest standards of flavour, texture and presentation.

If you’re enthusiastic about great food, highly organised, and customer-focused, we’d love to hear from you.

This role is based at our Trowbridge site , Monday – Friday. We welcome applications from candidates seeking either a full time or part time position .

Training and Development in sensory evaluation will be provided.

Who we are

apetito is the UK's leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dietitians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods is the UK's largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and conduct daily production taste panels (Monday–Friday)
• Organise and conduct sensory panels in support of product development , innovation and quality projects.
• Collate and prepare production samples for sensory assessment
• Lead panel discussions and record feedback
• Maintain accurate sensory evaluation records and generate summary reports
• Communicate findings , conclusions and actions
• Organise and prepare food samples for internal and external presentations
• Support resolution of quality issues based on panel outcomes
• Screen, select, and train panellists in sensory techniques
• Ensure adherence to sensory best practices and company procedures
• Provide general kitchen support to product and process development teams
• Ad hoc projects assigned by the Process Manager

Qualifications/Personal Qualities

Essential:

• Genuine passion for high-quality food
• Organisational skills
• Attention to detail
• Experience working independently and managing multiple priorities
• Proactive and solution-oriented mindset
• Solid numeracy, literacy, and IT proficiency
• Confident and comfortable working in a kitchen and presenting food
• Team player who enjoys working with people

Desirable

• Background in catering, food manufacturing, quality assurance, or laboratory work
• Experience organising taste panels or sensory assessments

Company Benefits

• Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
• 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
• Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
• Discretionary annual bonus scheme
• Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 4%
• Life assurance scheme worth at least 1x annual salary
• Subsidised canteen
• Free parking
• Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
• apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts

Our Values

As a family-owned business, we take great pride in being a company that makes a real difference and is dedicated to creating outstanding meals to be proud of.

We develop a range of products designed to enhance health and well-being for all our customers.

We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.

We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.

Our ethical standards are recognised by the ETI and we are an accredited Living Wage employer.Learn more about apetito’s commitment to a more sustainable future.

We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.