What does a meat processor do?

Updated January 8, 2025

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Meat processor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real meat processor resumes:

Manage the project schedule and design the PowerPoint presentation.
Follow all USDA rules and regulations for meat processing.
Prepare and inspect production rooms for cleanliness to meet USDA approval.
Trim and slice beef and pork product using butcher knives and commercial meat slicers.
Ensure all areas are maintained and a sanitary condition to eliminate potential food borne diseases per OSHA mandate guidelines.
Work directly with mortgage lenders and foreclosure attorneys to negotiate timely and cost effective repayment plans or modifications for delinquent loans.
Collaborate with management to help maintain inventory levels.

Meat processor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Meat Processors are proficient in Food Safety, Customer Service, and Safety Standards. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Physical strength.

We break down the percentage of Meat Processors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Food Safety, 16%
Keep the counter and work area clean, and maintain all food safety standards, including knives and tools.
Customer Service, 12%
Provide exceptional customer service to customers in order to provide a more positive customer experience.
Safety Standards, 10%
Maintain safety of facility by following all safety standards, procedures and guidelines.
Sales Floor, 8%
Assist customer needs, process meats for packaging, stock sales floor, and assist in daily clean-up and sanitization of backroom
Assembly Line, 7%
Worked on assembly line sorting good products from bad products, 8 hours a day, 5 days per week
Fresh Meat, 5%
Processed fresh meat for packaging and distribution

Common skills that a meat processor uses to do their job include "food safety," "customer service," and "safety standards." You can find details on the most important meat processor responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a meat processor to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "butchers who work in retail stores should be courteous, be able to answer customers’ questions, and fill orders to customers’ satisfaction." Additionally, a meat processor resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "assist the customer in product selection based on their preferences, stocked shelves, and met all fda regulations. "

Dexterity. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling meat processor duties is dexterity. The role rewards competence in this skill because "butchers use sharp knives and meatcutting equipment as part of their duties." According to a meat processor resume, here's how meat processors can utilize dexterity in their job responsibilities: "maintain stock level, freight intake, customer service, drove fork lift and sanitation. "

Physical strength. meat processors are also known for physical strength, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to meat processor responsibilities, because "butchers should be able to lift and carry heavy boxes of meat, which may weigh more than 50 pounds." A meat processor resume example shows how physical strength is used in the workplace: "performed data entry from physical records into records database and fulfilled records requests for large hotel client. "

All meat processor skills

The three companies that hire the most meat processors are:

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Compare different meat processors

Meat processor vs. Cold storage worker

Meat cutters are responsible for cutting meat into small and convenient portions meant for retail. Most of the time, they must prepare the meat products by labeling them according to their weight, kind, and price. Aside from this, meat cutters must use and operate various cutting tools, keep their knives sharp and clean, and appropriately store products into freezers. Furthermore, it is vital to monitor the inventory while adhering to the health standards and safety guidelines.

If we compare the average meat processor annual salary with that of a cold storage worker, we find that cold storage workers typically earn a $7,201 higher salary than meat processors make annually.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, meat processor responsibilities require skills like "food safety," "customer service," "sales floor," and "fresh meat." Meanwhile a typical cold storage worker has skills in areas such as "pallets," "cold storage warehouse," "safety policies," and "cold storage facility." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Cold storage workers earn the highest salaries when working in the retail industry, with an average yearly salary of $38,725. On the other hand, meat processors are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $36,672.On average, cold storage workers reach similar levels of education than meat processors. Cold storage workers are 0.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about meat processors vs meat cutters.

Meat processor vs. Meat cutter

A meat clerk's role is to provide conveniently cut and packed meat to consumers in a retail store or similar setting. One of their primary responsibilities is to greet customers, respond to their requests and inquiries, manage the display by removing expired meat products, label goods according to their prices and specifications, manage storage, and follow all health standards and protocols. Furthermore, a meat clerk must maintain the store's sanitation, ensuring to abide by all safety policies.

A career as a meat cutter brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a meat processor. In fact, meat cutters salary is $3,406 higher than the salary of meat processors per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both meat processors and meat cutters have skills such as "food safety," "customer service," and "sales floor. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, meat processor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "safety standards," "food products," "member service," and "product displays." Meanwhile, a meat cutter has duties that require skills in areas such as "grinders," "food handling," "hand tools," and "basic math." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Meat cutters may earn a higher salary than meat processors, but meat cutters earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $32,681. On the other hand, meat processors receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $36,672.In general, meat cutters achieve similar levels of education than meat processors. They're 0.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Learn more about meat processors vs meat clerks.

Meat processor vs. Meat clerk

An average meat clerk eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of meat processors. The difference in salaries amounts to meat clerks earning a $3,700 higher average salary than meat processors.Using the responsibilities included on meat processors and meat clerks resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "customer service," "sales floor," and "fresh meat.rdquo;

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, meat processors are more likely to have skills like "food safety," "safety standards," "assembly line," and "member service." But a meat clerk is more likely to have skills like "grinders," "basic math," "math," and "pallet jack."

Meat clerks earn the best pay in the retail industry, where they command an average salary of $32,182. Meat processors earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $36,672.When it comes to education, meat clerks tend to earn similar degree levels compared to meat processors. In fact, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Meat processor vs. Meat packer

Meat packers tend to earn a higher pay than meat processors by an average of $805 per year.While their salaries may vary, meat processors and meat packers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "customer service," "safety standards," and "assembly line. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A meat processor uses "food safety," "sales floor," "food products," and "member service." Meat packers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "pallets," "osha," "punctuality," and "lot numbers. "The finance industry tends to pay the highest salaries for meat packers, with average annual pay of $38,130. Comparatively, the highest meat processor annual salary comes from the finance industry.In general, meat packers hold similar degree levels compared to meat processors. Meat packers are 0.9% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of meat processor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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