Kosher butcher

Kosher butchers order, inspect and buy meat to prepare it and sell it as consumable meat products in accordance with Jewish practices. They perform activities such as cutting, trimming, boning, tying, and grinding  meats from kosher animals such as cows, sheep and goats. They prepare kosher meat for consumption.

The following job titles also refer to kosher butcher:

kosher meat butcher
Jewish butcher
kosher meat slicer
kosher meat boner

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as a kosher butcher. Training is usually provided by the employers.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Kosher butcher is a Skill level 2 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to kosher butcher.

halal butcher
butcher
meat cutter
meat preparations operator
prepared meat operator

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of kosher butcher. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of kosher butcher with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

green coffee coordinator
animal feed supervisor
dairy processing technician
food safety inspector
green coffee buyer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of kosher butcher.

• Warm blooded animal organs: The difference between white and red organs of warm blooded animals and their position in the body. A white organ can be the stomach, red organs can be the heart, the liver, or the lungs. The norms to treat these organs properly.
• Cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting: The religious and cultural practices regarding animal parts sorting as to not mix meat parts with other parts that may inhibit religion practitioners from eating the meat.
• Food storage: The proper conditions and methods to store food to keep it from spoiling, taking into account humidity, light, temperature and other environmental factors.
• Kosher meat: The preparation and types of meat consumable according to Jewish laws such as meat from chickens and cows.
• Animal anatomy for food production: The anatomy of animals, their organs and their functions, as well as the usage of these organs for food production after slaughtering.

These skills are necessary for the role of kosher butcher.

• Tolerate strong smells: Tolerate strong smells expelled by the goods being processed during the production of goods.
• Ensure sanitation: Keep workspaces and equipment free from dirt, infection, and disease by removing waste, trash and providing for appropriate cleaning.
• Ensure refrigeration of food in the supply chain: Apply different procedures to maintain the chain of temperature of foodstuffs and products in each stage of the production and supply chain.
• Tend meat packaging machine: Use machinery to package meat products under modified atmosphere, extending its shelf life.
• Monitor stock level: Evaluate how much stock is used and determine what should be ordered.
• Follow an environmental friendly policy while processing food: Assure an environmental-friendly policy when working with natural resources like meat, fruits and vegetables. This means handling resources in the most efficient and nature-friendly way while trying to minimalise pressure on the ecosystem.
• Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
• Apply preservation treatments: Apply common treatments to preserve the characteristics of food products taking care of their appearance, smell and taste.
• Trace meat products: Take the regulations regarding the traceability of final products within the sector into account.
• Process livestock organs: Process livestock organs and other byproducts for meat manufacturing processes. Remove organs from carcasses and perform activities such as cutting or dividing parts, washing organs, execute specific treatments, packaging, and labelling.
• Tend meat processing production machines: Operate production equipment and tools to process meat and meat products.
• Prepare meat for sale: Prepare meat for sale or cooking which comprise the seasoning, larding, or marinating of the meat, but not the actual cooking.
• Apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages: Apply and follow national, international, and internal requirements quoted in standards, regulations and other specifications related with manufacturing of food and beverages.
• Apply GMP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
• Prepare specialised meat products: Prepare specialised meat products, minced meat, salt-cured meat, smoked meat, and other meat preparations such as pickled meat, sausages, crumbed meat, veal olive, and chipolata.
• Operate meat processing equipment: Operate meat processing equipment for meat preparations and prepared meat products.
• Work in cold environments: Work in cold storage and deep freeze facilities. Cooling rooms are around 0°C. Resist temperatures of -18°C in meat processing freezer facilities as required by law, except for the slaughterhouse, where room working temperatures are below 12°C by law.
• Handle knives for meat processing activities: Handle knives for meat processing activities. Use the correct knives and cutting instruments for meat preparations, prepared meat products, or meat products made by a butcher.
• Grind meat: Use various types of machinery to grind animal parts into minced meat. Avoid the inclusion of bone splinters in the product. Maintain the meat grinding machine.
• Process customer orders: Handle orders placed by customers. Receive the customer order and define a list of requirements, a working process, and a time frame. Execute the work as planned.
• Split animal carcasses: Separate animal carcasses and organs into larger subsections such as head and limbs, debone and cut them.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of kosher butcher. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Kosher slaughtering practices: The practices involved in the slaughtering of animals for food consumption according to Jewish dietary laws such as the knife to be used, slaughtering techniques and blood drainage from the carcass.
• Food allergies: The types of food allergies within the sector, which substances trigger allergies, and how they can be replaced or eliminated (if possible).

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of kosher butcher. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Care for food aesthetic: Convey presentation and aesthetic elements into the production of food. Cut products properly, manage right quantities into the product, care for the attractiveness of the product.
• Inspect raw materials for muscle food processing: Inspect raw materials required for the production process, assessing quality and hidden flaws. Verify the origin of the raw materials using the sector defined documents, stamps or marks.
• Handle customer complaints: Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.
• Keep inventory of goods in production: Keep inventory of goods whether they are goods in the front end (i.e. raw materials), intermediate, or back end (i.e. finished products). Count goods and store them for the following production and distribution activities.
• Negotiate terms with suppliers: Identify and work with suppliers to ensure quality of supply and best price has been negotiated.
• Carry out end of day accounts: Execute end of day accounts to ensure that business transactions from the current day have been correctly processed.
• Hire new personnel: Hire new personnel for a company or organisation payroll via a prepared set of procedures. Make staffing decisions and direct selection co-workers.
• Negotiate improvement with suppliers: Build a good relation with suppliers in order to improve knowledge and quality of supply.
• Work according to recipe: Perform tasks in food preparation according to recipe or specification in order to preserve the quality of ingredients and to ensure replication accuracy of the recipe. Select the appropriate materials to follow the recipe, taking into account the current situation.
• Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
• Operate weighing machine: Work with a weighing machine to measure raw, half-finished and finished products.
• Dispose food waste: Dispose or collect food waste with the purpose of recycling or throwing away from the production process. Follow established procedures for their disposal taking care of the environment and the safety matters according to legislations.
• Identify the factors causing changes in food during storage: recognize the most relevant factors (chemical, physical, environmental etc) that can alter the food during its storage
• Analyse characteristics of food products at reception: Analyse characteristics, composition, and other properties of food products at reception.
• Operate metal contaminants detector: Control and monitor a detector that screens meat products for common metal contaminants such as screw, staples, or lead shot. Take appropriate actions in case of non conformities.
• Ensure compliance with environmental legislation in food production: Make sure to comply with environmental legislation in food production. Understand the legislation related to environmental matters in food manufacturing and apply it in practice.

7511 – Butchers, fishmongers and related food preparers

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References

1. Kosher butcher – ESCO