Certificate in Professional Butchery Techniques Fanshawe College - London Downtown Campus, Canada

Professional Butchery Techniques is an Ontario College Certificate program that will provide students with the comprehensive theoretical and practical knowledge to be successful in the growing meat processing industry. Throughout the program, students will engage with industry professionals to learn the latest techniques for meat cutting, with a focus on specific skills in trimming, deboning, carcass breakdown, and sausage making. Additionally, students will learn how to package and market meat products for resale. The program will have a strong emphasis on sanitation and food safety. Throughout the two term program, students will have the opportunity both to work substantially in the lab, practicing hands-on skills, and to build customer service and entrepreneurial skills by participating in the launch and operation of a small business: a full-service retail meat outlet.

Learning Outcomes

• Process the beef front quarter, beef hind quarter, a side of pork, a carcass of lamb, a side of veal, and various types of poultry into wholesale and retail cuts;
• Practise procedures used to control foodborne illness in compliance with recognized industry standards, food service laws, and government regulations;
• Provide quality customer service by responding to inquiries about basic cooking, food safety, and carving techniques and identifying health and safety issues;
• Determine markups and markdowns and profit and loss related to the retail meat cutting industry;
• Select the appropriate packaging material for different products to ensure safety and salability;
• Select parts of the animal carcass for retail cuts of meat based on bone, fat, and muscle structures, and dispose of abnormalities in a safe and sterile manner;
• Demonstrate safe working practices and the safe set up, breakdown, operation, and maintenance of tools and equipment in accordance with health and safety regulations;
• Fabricate fresh sausage using industry-specific equipment;
• Develop value-added products, such as spice rubs, marinades, and stuffed and/or breaded meat products to support sales in a retail operation;
• Identify and label meat products to comply with Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations;
• Receive and store meat products in a safe and orderly manner to meet industry standards for quality and safety;