What Do Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters use hand or hand tools to perform routine cutting and trimming of meat, poultry, and seafood. They also use knives, cleavers, meat saws, bandsaws, or other equipment to perform meat cutting and trimming.

Other tasks include:

• Weigh meats and tag containers for weight and contents.
• Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.
• Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
• Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.
• Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.
• Prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading.

We asked Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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61% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters prepare ready-to-heat foods by filleting meat or fish or cutting it into bite-sized pieces, preparing and adding vegetables or applying sauces or breading. They separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.

A typical day for a Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutter and Trimmer will also include:

• Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.
• Inspect meat products for defects, bruises or blemishes and remove them along with any excess fat.
• Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass.
• Clean and salt hides.
• Process primal parts into cuts that are ready for retail use.

We asked some Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	54% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	24% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	49% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	19% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	18% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	40% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters also remove parts, such as skin, feathers, scales or bones, from carcass. They may also prepare sausages, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and other fabricated meat products, using meat trimmings and hamburger meat.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters Obtain and distribute specified meat or carcass. They might also Clean, trim, slice, and section carcasses for future processing.

In addition, they Separate meats and byproducts into specified containers and seal containers.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Cut and trim meat to prepare for packing.

To some Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutters, it is also their responsibility to Produce hamburger meat and meat trimmings.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Meat, Poultry and Fish Cutter and Trimmer, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

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