Name: Ntooukan Achmetoglou
Age: 28
Job title: Official veterinarian
Company & location: Food Standards Scotland, Aberdeen area
Education: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a pilot – planes made more sense to me than pets. But Greece didn’t offer pilot training, med school didn’t take me, and vet school basically said, “We’ll have him.” In a way, I didn’t choose veterinary medicine; it chose me. And I’m glad it did.
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? I spent nearly three years in small animal practice, but over time I realised I couldn’t work to the standards I aspired to. I wanted to deliver excellent care, but too often, I felt held back – not by the work itself, but by the environment around it.
Working in the food industry gave me the chance to apply my veterinary knowledge in a different area of the profession, one that’s equally important but often less visible.
“We’re the first line of defence before food even hits the shelves”
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): I make sure the meat that reaches your plate is safe to eat and that the animals it comes from were handled humanely. It’s about protecting both public health and animal welfare, every single day.
What does a typical day look like for you? I start my days very early – the kind of early that should probably be reviewed by human rights law. My main duties are ante-mortem inspections (checking the animals before slaughter) and official controls. Official controls, without boring you, cover a plethora of subjects under the same umbrella: everything from hygiene and temperature monitoring to preventing contamination.
If one of my trusted meat hygiene inspectors flags a carcass as unfit, I step in to examine it and, when necessary, make the final call to reject it.
Tell us how you went about applying for your job: Applying for a job with Food Standards Scotland was quite the process. At one point, they seemed to need a new document from me every day, and I joked they might end up making me prime minister. Well, first minister, we are in Scotland!
The interview itself wasn’t too tough, but the overall hiring process was demanding. In the end though, it was absolutely worth it.
What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? The best part is the knowledge that our work has a meaningful impact. By safeguarding public health and ensuring food safety, we contribute to the wellbeing of our communities every day; a responsibility I find deeply rewarding.
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? The biggest misconception about Food Standards Scotland is that we regulate supermarkets and take samples from restaurants. In fact, those responsibilities fall under local authorities. We focus on safeguarding health right from the start, at primary production, abattoirs, and cutting plants. You could say we’re the first line of defence before food even hits the shelves.
Read more:
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Food Standards Agency’s National Food Crime Unit gains investigatory powers
What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry? Invest in the long game and be patient.
It’s a diverse and rewarding field full of opportunities to make a meaningful impact. Keep building your skills and knowledge, stay curious, and trust that dedication and persistence will open doors over time.
What’s your ultimate career dream? My ultimate career goal is to grow into a role where I can help refine and strengthen the systems already in place. If I can leave the industry even slightly better than I found it, I’ll consider that a job well done.
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