Prepared meat operator

Prepared meat operators

Description

Prepared meat operators process meat either by hand or using meat machines such as meat grinding, crushing or mixing machines. They perform preservation processes such as pasteurising, salting, drying, freeze-drying, fermenting and smoking. Prepared meat operators strive to keep meat free from germs and other health risks for a longer period than fresh meat.

Prepared meat operators typically do the following:

  • Refer to work orders to determine the amount and type (fish, beef, or chicken) of meat to be processed.
  • Calibrate food processing machines and ensure that they are set at the correct speeds for each processing procedure.
  • Prepare raw materials by removing bones and fat and cutting them into standardized cubes or slices.
  • Cut, trim and separate edible portions from offal and ensure that they are appropriately cleaned under running water.
  • Use knives and choppers to perform cutting and chopping activities and ensure that all cut and chopped meats are stored in a proper manner.
  • Make use of scales to weigh meat before and after each process and ensure that each stage is documented for reference purposes.
  • Pack cleaned and processed meat into appropriate packaging, ensuring that it is covered properly with plastic wraps.
  • Create or acquire labels for each packet by ensuring that type, date of expiry, and weight is mentioned on them.
  • Inspect packed meat products for any conformity problems and ensure that any non-conformance products are isolated or discarded.

Working conditions

Prepared meat operators work in large, noisy, and often cold warehouses. They stand for long periods of time and do repetitive work with their hands. They are required to wear protective clothing, such as gloves, aprons, and earplugs, and to follow safety procedures to avoid injuries.

Some prepared meat operators may work in hot environments, such as in rendering plants, where they are exposed to high temperatures and fumes. Most of them work full time, and some may work overtime, especially during peak periods of production.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to prepared meat operator:

processed meat operators
meat processor
meat manufacturer
meat process worker
meat machine operator

Minimum qualifications

No formal educational credential is generally required to work as prepared meat operator. Some employers may prefer candidates with at least a high school diploma.

ISCO skill level

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.

Prepared meat operator is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Prepared meat operator career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to prepared meat operator.

meat preparations operator
meat cutter
butcher
fish trimmer
fish canning operator

Long term prospects

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

green coffee coordinator
animal feed supervisor
food safety inspector
green coffee buyer
malt house supervisor

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of prepared meat operator.

  • Typology of meat parts: Typology of meat parts in terms of nutrients, handling processes, way of cutting and managing, and preparations and ingredients that potentiate the taste.
  • Legislation about animal origin products: The applicable legal rules on temperature, waste materials, traceability, labelling, trading, and the transport of animal origin products.
  • Documentation concerning meat production: Understand legal identification documents and marks which cover animal movement, identification, and health status. Understand information in commercial books of meat production.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of prepared meat operator.

  • Manufacture ingredients: Manufacture ingredients such as spices, additives and vegetables.
  • Maintain cutting equipment: Maintenance of the cutting equipment (knives, cutters, and other elements).
  • Tolerate strong smells: Tolerate strong smells expelled by the goods being processed during the production of goods.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Mark differences in colours: Identify differences between colours, such as shades of colour.
  • Manage packaging material: Managing all packaging materials be they primary (wrapping, cans, bottles) or secondary (cartons, crates, pallets).
  • Weigh materials: Weigh materials and products, record weight and other relevant data on tags or labels.
  • Maintain inventory of meat products: Keeping track of the inventory of meat products by following stock control procedures.
  • Apply HACCP: Apply regulations regarding manufacture of food and food safety compliance. Employ food safety procedures based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP).
  • Use mechanically separated meat: Use the paste of mechanically separated meat obtained in previous processes of the meat production to produce products such as frankfurter sausages. Heat the products before sending them for selling.
  • Be at ease in unsafe environments: Be at ease in unsafe environments like being exposed to dust, rotating equipment, hot surfaces, sub-freezing and cold storage areas, noise, wet floors and moving lift equipment.
  • Apply preservation treatments: Apply common treatments to preserve the characteristics of food products taking care of their appearance, smell and taste.
  • Execute chilling processes to food products: Carry out chilling, freezing and cooling operation processes to food products such as fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, catering food. Prepare food products for extended periods of storage or half prepared food. Ensure safety and nutrition qualities of frozen goods and preserve products in accordance with specified temperatures.
  • 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.
  • Cope with blood: Cope with blood, organs, and other internal parts without feeling distressed.
  • Follow hygienic procedures during food processing: Ensure a clean working space according to hygienic standards in the food processing industry.
  • Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
  • Lift heavy weights: Lift heavy weights and apply ergonomic lifting techniques to avoid damaging the body.
  • 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.
  • Select adequate ingredients: Select adequate ingredients based in their technological function to execute ideas. Strive for consistent good quality of the ingredients and use them adequately to obtain a satisfactory final product.
  • 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.
  • Measure precise food processing operations: Carry out accurately measured assignments with suitable tools and equipment in the process of producing food and beverages.
  • Monitor temperature in manufacturing process of food and beverages: Monitor and control required temperatures in the different phases of production until the product reaches suitable properties according to specifications.
  • Operate weighing machine: Work with a weighing machine to measure raw, half-finished and finished products.
  • Operate meat processing equipment: Operate meat processing equipment for meat preparations and prepared meat products.
  • 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.
  • Produce meat-based jelly preparations: Making gelée preparations with salted, and heated materials. Boil added ingredients in gelée and fill bowels or forms (aspic).
  • 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.
  • Handle meat processing equipment in cooling rooms: Push and put carcasses in and out the cooling room as specified. Use equipment specific to this room to handle meat and meat products.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

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

  • Food canning production line: Steps in the canning process line from washing, conditioning and weighing food products, washing and preparing cans, filling cans, as well as other operations in order to obtain the end product.
  • Health, safety and hygiene legislation: The set of health, safety and hygiene standards and items of legislation applicable in a specific sector.
  • Pathogenic microorganisms in food: The identification and characteristics of pathogenic micro-organisms in food and the adequate prevention methods to inhibit its reproduction in food materials.
  • Food dehydration processes: The processes by which fruit and vegetables are dehydrated including techniques such as sun drying, indoor drying, and industrial applications for drying food. The dehydration process goes from selection of the fruit and vegetables according to their size, washing the fruit, classifying according to the product, storage, and mixing with ingredients resulting in a final product.

Optional skills and competences

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

  • Ensure sanitation: Keep workspaces and equipment free from dirt, infection, and disease by removing waste, trash and providing for appropriate cleaning.
  • Operate a heat treatment process: Apply heat treatment aimed at preparing and preserving half-finished or finished food products.
  • Provide first aid: Administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation or first aid in order to provide help to a sick or injured person until they receive more complete medical treatment.
  • Manage challenging work conditions during food processing operations: Handle stressful and challenging work conditions in a limited time frame to ensure qualitative food and beverage products are created in time.
  • Act reliably: Proceed in a way that one can be relied on or depended on.
  • Apply flame handling regulations: Apply laws and organisation rules for the safe storage and use of flammables.
  • Blend food ingredients: Blend, mix or cultivate ingredients to make reagents or to manufacture food or beverage products and to carry the analysis that goes along with it.
  • Liaise with colleagues: Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.
  • Use cutting equipment: Use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.
  • Adapt efficient food processing practices: Ensure to adapt the most efficient production techniques to accomplish food processing tasks with the least amount of time, effort and costs.
  • Have computer literacy: Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.
  • Consider economic criteria in decision making: Develop proposals and take appropriate decisions taking into account economic criteria.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Work in a food processing team: Collaborate in a team with other food processing professionals in service of the food and beverages industry.
  • 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.
  • Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
  • Examine production samples: Examine production samples visually or manually to verify properties such as clarity, cleanliness, consistency, humidity and texture.
  • 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.
  • Label samples: Label raw material/ product samples for laboratory checks, according to implemented quality system.

ISCO group and title

8160 – Food and related products machine operators


References
  1. Prepared meat operator – ESCO
  2. Meat Production Worker Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities – CLR
  3. Meat Packer Job Description: Salaries, Duties, & More – ClimbtheLadder
  4. Featured image: By U.S. Government Accountability Office from Washington, DC, United States – Figure 8: Poultry Workers Cutting and Trimming Chickens, Public Domain
Last updated on August 11, 2022

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