Meatcutters and Meat Packers

Summer or part-time employment in retail food stores, wholesale food outlets, or restaurant and institutional kitchens can provide experience in or observation of meatcutting. Some vocational and trade schools offer courses in basic meatcutting techniques. Interviews with meatcutters and field trips to meatpacking plants and slaughterhouses also are useful in exploring the conditions under which prospective meatcutters work. Trade journals such as Meat + Poultry (https://www.meatpoultry.com/publications/1) are valuable sources of information for people who want to explore the meatpacking industry. Employees at local meatpacking plants may also be willing to speak with students interested in this type of work. Beginning workers may start out in apprenticeships, learning to cut meat and perform other semiskilled tasks. Summer or part-time jobs in meatpacking plants can provide valuable experience for beginners in the field.