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Meat hygiene inspector

Alternative titles for this job include Official auxiliary

Meat hygiene inspectors make sure food processing plants and slaughterhouses follow safety and hygiene standards.

Average salary (a year)

£23,000 Starter

to

£48,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

38 to 40 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends flexibly

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become Meat hygiene inspector

You can get into this job by working towards this role.

Work

To work as a meat inspector, you'll need to complete industry recognised qualifications, such as:

  • Level 2 Certificate for Proficiency in Poultry Meat Inspection
  • Level 4 Diploma for Proficiency in Meat Inspection

You must be working in the meat industry to do the practical assessments needed to complete the courses.

You'll find more details about the qualifications and training providers through the Royal Society for Public Health .

More Information

Career tips

Experience of food manufacturing processes and the meat industry is important for this role.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a meat hygiene inspector from Tasty Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to analyse quality or performance
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

  • have a full driving licence

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a meat hygiene inspector you could:

  • inspect the hygiene in slaughterhouses, cutting plants, factories and cold stores
  • check animal welfare conditions
  • inspect live animals, game or poultry for signs of disease
  • help to carry out post mortems on diseased animals
  • check meat transportation conditions
  • make sure unfit meat is destroyed and disposed of safely
  • collect data, write reports and suggest improvements
  • keep up to date on meat hygiene regulations and advise employers

Working environment

You could work in a factory.

Your working environment may be hot and cold.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

You could become a manager in food retail or manufacturing, or a supervisor or manager with the Food Standards Agency.

Current opportunities

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Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Meat hygiene inspector right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Award in Food Safety and Hygiene

  • Provider: HALESOWEN COLLEGE
  • Start date: 08 September 2025
  • Location: Halesowen

RSPH Level 2 Award in Food Safety and Hygiene

  • Provider: CHICHESTER COLLEGE GROUP
  • Start date: 20 March 2025
  • Location: Chichester
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