How to make extra money testing food

Written by |
Advertisement

When it comes to finding ways to make extra money, an ideal situation is to find something you enjoy doing that can also bring in some cash. One of the more novel ways we’ve heard of to bring in some supplemental income is testing food.

Team Clark member Chelsea has been a food tester for quite a while now. She’s been working with Contract Testing Inc. (CTI) and a couple other companies and says things have worked out quite nicely for her palate and pocketbook.

Get paid to eat: How to make money testing food

“I’ve done several taste tests for each of these companies and my experience has been wonderful,” Chelsea says.

She says you can get registered really quickly and start making money in no time.

“The process is pretty straightforward: You fill out a questionnaire (either online or over the phone since sometimes they call you if they need to fill open slots) and if you qualify for the taste test you simply pick one of the available time slots that works for your schedule. You never know which fast food/restaurant you’re going to be tasting until you arrive and begin the taste test.”

How much do you get paid?

The thing to remember about these companies is that your participation is part of a broad analysis. That’s why when you sign up, you divulge personal information that can properly categorize you into a specific segment of their audience. These taste tests help determine whether a food product makes it to market.

“I’ve done several tests for Subway (everything from just sampling different types of bread to full sandwiches) and one for Popeyes. After you finish the taste test you collect your payment immediately — I’ve received everything from cash to gift cards and the payout is usually around $40, but I’ve made as much as $75 for a single test.”

Other resources to get paid as a food tester

  • Discuss Research pays you $75 to $250 per session to be a member of their research community.
  • MarketForce.com is a mystery shopping site that focuses almost exclusively on restaurants, with the occasional wireless store thrown in here and there. Each job that you sign up for shows you what the payout will be, usually from $6 to $12.
  • Following Chelsea’s lead, I signed up on the CTI website.
  • Another site Chelsea uses is PVR Research, a research firm that does market analysis for food companies and other businesses. This one is for Georgia residents only.
  • A final one she told me about is CMR Research, a research firm that matches you (and pays you) for studies they conduct.
Advertisement
Clark Deals