Salary Guide: Understanding Compensation Trends in the Food and Beverage Industry
In today’s highly competitive employment market, staying current on compensation trends in the food and beverage industry is crucial for attracting, retaining, and developing top talent. As the demand for skilled professionals and executives continues to rise, food companies need to offer wages and benefits packages that match—if not exceed—candidates’ expectations.
In Kinsa Group’s 2025 Food and Beverage Industry Salary Guide released this week, we provide insights into how organizations can remain competitive for 160 different food industry-specific job titles.
1. Why Staying Informed on Salary Trends Matters
The food and beverage industry has undergone rapid transformation in recent years. Changing consumer preferences, global supply chain disruptions, and a tight labor market have all heightened the need to secure and keep highly skilled employees. Staying up to date on salary benchmarks helps:
- Ensure you’re offering fair, competitive compensation to both new hires and current employees.
- Boost retention by aligning pay with market rates.
- Eliminate guesswork about budget planning, salary negotiation, and internal equity adjustments.
2. Factors Influencing Compensation
- Labor Market Challenges: With low unemployment in many regions, qualified professionals can be selective, comparing multiple job offers. Competitive wages can tip the scale in your favor.
- Rising Operational Costs: Food production, transportation, and raw material costs are volatile—yet these expenses often need to be balanced with the compensation budget.
- Evolving Skills Requirements: The shift toward automation, sustainable processes, and data-driven decision-making has placed a premium on specialized skill sets. Roles requiring technical or analytical expertise command higher salaries.
3. Key Compensation Trends
- Sign-On Bonuses and Incentives: Beyond base pay, many employers are offering sign-on bonuses, performance-based incentives, or retention bonuses to attract top candidates and keep them engaged.
- Benefits Packages: Companies are looking at holistic ways to attract employees, such as extended healthcare, mental well-being programs, and rewarding paid time off.
- Flexibility, Remote Work, and Hybrid Roles: While the need for onsite presence remains strong for food production and operations roles, certain corporate support positions—such as marketing, purchasing, and accounting—may be performed remotely or hybrid, influencing salary structures.
- Salary Transparency: Successful employers share clear career paths, salary progression guidelines, and performance metrics to promote transparency and trust.
4. Salary Range and Median for In-Demand Job Specialties
Kinsa Group’s 2025 Salary Guide will provide you with a salary range (low and high) as well as median pay for roles in the following food job specialties:
- C-Suite Executives
- Accounting / Finance
- Human Resources
- Food Science / Product Development
- Sales / Business Development
- Marketing
- Operations / Production
- Food Service / Restaurant
- Supply Chain / Procurement
- Environmental Health / Safety
- Quality / Food Safety / Sanitation
- Engineering / Maintenance
5. Ensuring Your Salaries Remain Competitive
- Engage in Ongoing Benchmarking: Regularly review market data, industry reports, and similarly sized organizations within the food industry to stay competitive.
- Align Compensation with Performance: Offer raises and bonuses tied to clear, measurable achievements in productivity, quality, and team leadership.
- Improve Your Employer Brand: Beyond compensation, job seekers care about company culture, growth opportunities, and flexible benefits. Develop a compelling EVP (Employee Value Proposition) to attract and retain skilled professionals.
- Conduct Regular Pay Audits: Internal equity is just as essential as external competitiveness. Make sure your pay structures are free from biases or discrepancies that could demotivate high-performing employees.
How Kinsa Group Can Help
Kinsa Group has four decades of experience connecting premier food and beverage employers with professionals across a range of roles and food categories. Our knowledgeable approach ensures that your compensation packages align with market realities, positioning your organization to secure top talent and spur business growth. With data-driven insights, tailored recruitment strategies, and a deep network of industry professionals, Kinsa Group is committed to helping you stay ahead of the compensation curve in the search for great talent.
For more detailed guidance on salary structures, talent acquisition, or workforce planning, contact Kinsa Group to speak with an Account Manager.
Together, we can set your food business on the path to sustained success.
Download Salary Guide Now