Butcher Job Description: Duties, Training, and Meat Handling Rules

A butcher cuts, trims, bones, grinds and packages raw meat for sale or for use in a kitchen, and keeps the cutting area and equipment clean and sanitized. A high school diploma is the usual starting point, and most training happens on the job. According to O*NET OnLine, which publishes Bureau of Labor Statistics data, butchers and meat cutters earned a median of $19.30 per hour in 2025.

Job descriptions for butchers usually list cutting skill and customer service, then mention food safety near the bottom. That order is backward. Raw meat is among the highest-risk foods in any building, and a butcher handles it more directly than almost anyone else on staff. The knife work gets the attention, but temperature control and keeping raw meat away from everything else are what keep customers from getting sick. This page covers what the job involves, what the training looks like, and the food safety rules that come with it.

What does a butcher do?

O*NET OnLine lists a mix of cutting, customer and housekeeping tasks for butchers and meat cutters. The main ones are:

• Cut, trim, bone, tie and grind beef, pork, poultry and fish for cooking.
• Prepare special cuts that customers order.
• Wrap, weigh, label and price cuts of meat.
• Prepare and arrange meat in display cases.
• Receive, inspect and store meat deliveries to check quality.
• Estimate needs and order supplies to keep inventory in line with demand.
• Record meat received and issued, or keep records of meat sales.
• Clean and sanitize meat cases, cutting boards, grinders, slicers and knives.

In a supermarket or a butcher shop, the job also includes talking with customers about cuts and cooking methods. In a restaurant, the butcher breaks down whole primal cuts into portions for the line. In a packing or processing plant, the work is more repetitive and specialized, usually one task on a line.

Where do butchers work?

The setting shapes the job more than the title does.

Which agency oversees the building matters. Meat and poultry plants that sell across state lines operate under USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspection. Retail stores and restaurants cutting meat to sell directly to consumers are generally regulated by state and local health departments using the FDA Food Code. Rules and exemptions vary, so a new hire should ask which one applies to their shop.

Why a butcher's job is a food safety job

The FDA Food Code defines a food employee as someone who works with unpackaged food, food equipment or utensils, or food-contact surfaces. A butcher does all three at once. The job therefore carries the same hygiene, illness-reporting and handwashing duties as a cook, plus a few that are especially important with raw meat.

Temperature control. Raw meat is a TCS food, meaning it needs time and temperature control to stay safe. The Food Code sets cold holding at 41°F or below, and meat left in the temperature danger zone while it is cut, ground or packed gives bacteria time to grow. Good butchers work in small batches, return product to the cooler quickly and keep a calibrated probe thermometer on hand. The TCS foods and thermometers and calibration hubs cover the fundamentals.

Cross-contamination. Raw meat juices carry pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli. A butcher who cuts raw poultry and then slices cooked ham on the same board without washing, rinsing and sanitizing in between can spread them to food that will not be cooked again. Color-coded boards, separate knives and strict cleaning between species are the standard controls. The preventing cross-contamination hub explains the pathways.

Grinding. Grinding mixes the surface of a cut, where bacteria live, through the whole batch. That is why ground meat has a higher cooking temperature than a whole steak, and why grinders must be taken apart, cleaned and sanitized as often as the rules or the shop's procedures require. USDA FSIS publishes consumer guidance on ground beef safety, and the cooking temperatures hub lists the minimum internal temperatures.

Cleaning and sanitizing. Saws, slicers, grinders and boards are food-contact surfaces. Cleaning removes the fat and protein you can see, and sanitizing reduces the pathogens you cannot. The cleaning versus sanitizing hub explains the difference, and the sanitizer types and concentrations hub covers solutions and test strips.

Receiving. A butcher is often the first person to inspect a meat delivery. Checking the temperature of the product, the condition of the packaging and the supplier source is part of the job. The receiving deliveries hub explains what to accept and what to reject.

What skills and training does a butcher need?

O*NET OnLine reports that most butchers say a high school diploma or equivalent is required, and some say less. There is no single national license. People usually learn on the job, starting with wrapping, stocking and basic trimming before moving to saw work and whole-cut breakdown. Some join an apprenticeship, a culinary program or a trade course with butchery units.

Skills that postings screen for include:

• Knife control and speed. Safe, consistent cuts, with good yield from each primal.
• Product knowledge. Knowing species, cuts, grades and cooking methods.
• Math and weighing. Portion weights, pricing and yield calculations.
• Stamina. Standing for long shifts, lifting heavy cuts and working in a cold room.
• Food safety habits. Handwashing, sanitizing between tasks and logging temperatures.
• Customer service. Explaining cuts and making recommendations in retail jobs.

Cuts are a real hazard in the job. Cut-resistant gloves, sharp knives and proper saw training are part of day one at a well-run shop, and employers that provide them have fewer injuries.

Do butchers need a food handler card or certification?

It depends on your state and county. There is no federal requirement for a food handler card, and each jurisdiction decides who must hold one. Because a butcher handles unpackaged food and food-contact surfaces, most places that require a card will cover butchers. Many employers require a card regardless of what the law says. Our guide on how to get a food handlers card covers the steps.

Managers and owners of meat departments face a different rule. Many jurisdictions require a certified food protection manager on site, which usually means passing an accredited exam such as the ServSafe Manager exam. That exam passes at 70%, at least 56 of the 80 scored questions. See what is a certified food protection manager for how the requirement works. ServSafe sets its own pricing and changes it, so check servsafe.com for current options.

Specialized processes need more than a card. Under the Food Code, some methods, such as curing or smoking food as a preservation method, require approval from the regulatory authority, and some require a written HACCP plan. A shop that makes its own sausage, jerky or cured products should talk to its health department before starting. The variances and special processes and HACCP hubs explain how this works.

What do butchers get paid?

According to O*NET OnLine, which reports Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, butchers and meat cutters earned a median of $19.30 per hour, about $40,140 a year, in 2025. A median is the midpoint: half of butchers earned more and half earned less.

O*NET OnLine reports about 138,400 butchers and meat cutters employed in 2025, with projected growth of 1% to 2% over 2025 to 2035 and about 15,100 projected openings, including replacement of workers who leave or transfer. Growth is slow, so openings come mainly from turnover and retirements.

Pay varies by setting and skill. Supermarket meat cutters, independent shop butchers, restaurant butchers and plant workers are paid on different scales, and experienced whole-animal butchers with charcuterie skills generally have more room to earn. Salary sites publish their own figures, but those are largely self-reported by users rather than drawn from a survey. Treat them as a rough guide.

How does a butcher differ from a meat cutter?

The terms overlap, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics groups them as one occupation. In practice, "butcher" often means someone who breaks down whole animals or large primal cuts and handles custom orders, usually in a shop or restaurant. "Meat cutter" often describes a supermarket or plant role focused on cutting, trimming, grinding and packaging to a standard. A job posting may use either title for the same work, so read the duties, not the title.

What this means for you

If you are applying: get the food handler card your county accepts before your first shift, and learn to explain why you separate raw species and sanitize between tasks. Ask whether the shop provides cut-resistant gloves and training on the saw and grinder.

If you are hiring: write the posting around the real work. State the setting, whether lifting and cold-room work are involved, which tools the person will use, and whether a card is required before the first shift or within a set period. Name the food safety duties in the posting, because inspectors look at them first.

If you manage a meat department: build temperature checks, grinder cleaning and board changes into the shift routine, and keep records. The staff training hub covers how to onboard new cutters, and the regulatory inspections hub explains what an inspector will check.

Frequently asked questions

What are the duties of a butcher?

A butcher cuts, trims, bones, ties and grinds raw meat, prepares custom cuts, and wraps, weighs, labels and prices the product. The job also includes arranging meat in display cases, receiving and inspecting deliveries, ordering supplies, keeping records, and cleaning and sanitizing cutting equipment and cases.

What qualifications do you need to be a butcher?

Most employers ask for a high school diploma or equivalent and train new hires on the job. Some butchers complete an apprenticeship or a culinary program. There is no single national license, but many places require a food handler card, and managers may need a certified food protection manager credential depending on local rules.

How much does a butcher make?

O*NET OnLine reports a 2025 median of $19.30 per hour, about $40,140 a year, for butchers and meat cutters, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Pay varies by setting, region and skill. Salary site figures are mostly self-reported and should be treated as a rough guide.

Is a butcher the same as a meat cutter?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups them as one occupation, and many postings use the titles interchangeably. Butcher often implies whole-animal or primal breakdown and custom orders, while meat cutter often implies standardized cutting and packaging in a supermarket or plant. Read the duties in the posting rather than relying on the title.

Do butchers need a food handler card?

It depends on your state and county. A butcher handles unpackaged food and food-contact surfaces, so most jurisdictions that require cards cover butchers, and many employers require one regardless. Check your local health department before buying a course, since some counties accept only certain approved programs.

What food safety rules apply to a butcher shop?

Retail butcher shops generally follow the FDA Food Code as adopted by the state or county, which covers cold holding at 41°F or below, preventing cross-contamination, cleaning and sanitizing equipment, and employee hygiene. Plants that ship across state lines fall under USDA FSIS inspection. Specialized processes such as curing may need approval or a HACCP plan.

Working with raw meat? The free Food Handler track covers temperature control, cross-contamination and sanitizing, and the Manager track goes deeper on the manager-level rules.

Sources

• FDA Food Code 2022, including the definition of food employee, cold holding limits and the rules for specialized processes
• FDA: FDA Food Code overview, how states adopt the Food Code
• USDA FSIS: Ground Beef and Food Safety, guidance on ground beef safety
• CDC: Food Safety, foodborne illness and the practices that prevent it
• ServSafe Manager, the manager-level credential, with current options and pricing
• O*NET OnLine: Butchers and Meat Cutters wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data