Large portions of slaughtered animal carcasses are used meatcutters. They are usually in charge of butchering and breaking down these large portions of meat into a variety of standard cuts. Meatcutter jobs can be found in both retail and industrial settings. They work with a wide range of tools, from simple knives to large saws and grinders.
Butchers used to handle a large portion of the meat processing done around the world. Butchers work in small shops and are responsible for all aspects of the preparation of an animal carcass for sale. They also frequently met specific customer requests for specialized cuts of meat or non-standard meat preparation methods. The number of butchers has decreased as the food industry has grown and industrial methods have been applied to the process of animal slaughter and preparation for sale.
Butchers used to do a lot of the same work as meatcutters, but their work is usually broken down into smaller tasks. A meatcutter in a large processing plant, for example, might be tasked with simply breaking down carcasses into large component parts. Other meatcutters would then process these pieces in a retail setting, preparing ground meat, steaks, and all the other typical cuts of meat.
Some supermarkets have completely replaced butchers with meatcutters. In some cases, it’s just a matter of semantics, and the cutters take care of all the custom meat preparation tasks that butchers used to do. In other cases, stores have taken steps to standardize the production of packaged meat for consumers, often to save money. A meatcutter would simply prepare a standard assortment of cuts of meat from each large section of meat that arrived for sale in such a store.
Health and safety inspectors usually keep a close eye on the work of meatcutters. This regulation is in place to reduce the risk of pathogens entering the food supply. Furthermore, meat preparation facility safety inspections are critical, as the meat cutting industry is one in which unsafe labor practices can result in serious injury to workers.
A meatcutter will work with sharp knives, powerful mechanical grinders, and power saws for the majority of the day. These tools are all safe, but they must be used with care and skill. A meatcutter should be trained in the proper use of these tools and should wear a variety of protective clothing to reduce the risk of personal injury from accidents or errors.