Overview
A Retail Meat Cutter is responsible to prepare standard cuts of meat (including poultry and fish) to be sold in either a self-serve or specialty counter. Meat Cutters are almost always found in a customer-oriented, retail environment. This can be anything from a small family-owned meat shop to a large international supermarket chain. Meat Cutters is a registered trade.
The term "Meat Cutter" is replacing "Butcher" in many instances. "Butchers" typically deal with meat at the carcass stage and "meat cutters" typically deal with "primal" cuts - segments of the carcass broken down into smaller (but still unfinished) pieces to make them easier to handle. A Butcher breaks beef into primals and a Meat Cutter takes those primals and merchandises them into saleable product.
Working Conditions
Retail Meat Cutters traditionally work indoors, in large, refrigerated rooms, with temperatures ranging between 2 and -4 degrees Celsius. These environments are kept sanitary, and are washed every day with powerful antibacterial cleaners. In larger retail outlets or plant-facilities, working environments are generally equipped with power tools such as band saws and circular slicers. Meat Cutters are also generally required to be in good physical shape; the duties of a Meat Cutter include standing for long periods of time, regularly lifting over 25 lbs, and working in cold conditions. Retail Meat Cutters also often have to deal with customers.
Duties
The duties of a Retail Meat Cutter often include trimming of primal cuts into saleable cuts, making ground meat out of trimmings from the primal cuts,ensuring meat cuts are displayed in an eye-catching manner and are of sufficient quality, and serving customized orders to customers. Retail Meat Cutters are also responsible to keep their working areas clean, and ensure that proper sanitization procedures are followed.which in most cases rarely happens.improper clean up and failure to comply with local and federal standards are common place.
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