Butchery Quality Controller - Premier Commercial & Retail Butchery In Diep River

This family-owned premier commercial and retail meat supplier in Diep River, operates as a key supplier of organic lamb and wagyu beef to the catering industry since early 1990’s They supply hotels, restaurants, and wine estates as well as directly to household kitchens via its online store and the popular eatery and Deli in Cape Town. We are in search of an experienced, reliable and highly organized QUALITY CONTROLLER to oversee the butchery production, and to ensure that all raw, processed, and packaged meat products meet strict safety, hygiene, quality, and legal standards before they reach consumers.

• × A Matric/Grade 12 certificate, supplemented by a diploma or degree in Food Technology, Biotechnology, Consumer Science, or Microbiology.
• × Formal certification in HACCP, FSSC 22000, or fundamental retail food safety.
• × At least 4 to 5 years of quality control experience specifically within a meat processing plant, cold storage facility, or retail butchery environment.

• × Strong attention to detail with an analytical mindset.
• × Excellent knowledge of meat carcass grading, cuts, and spoilage indicators.
• × Firm, objective communication skills to enforce hygiene standards among floor staff and blockmen.

• × HACCP & Regulatory Compliance:
  Enforce Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and local food legislation (South African R638 for hygiene and R146 for product labeling).
• × Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs):
  Monitor and audit butchery staff to ensure strict adherence to Quality Control SOPs during meat cutting, processing, and packaging.
• × Audit Preparation:
  Maintain up-to-date QC documentation, daily temperature logs, and traceability records for internal and external food safety audits.

• × Receiving & Dispatch:
  Inspect incoming carcasses and meat boxes from suppliers to check temperature, freshness, stamp verification, and delivery vehicle hygiene.
• × Facility Temperature Tracking:
  Continuously monitor and log temperatures of cold rooms, walk-in freezers, processing areas, and retail display fridges to prevent bacterial growth.

• × Product Standards:
  Evaluate meat cuts for appropriate marbling, colour, fat trim, thickness, and overall presentation against company standards.
• × In-Process Sampling:
  Conduct random weight checks, moisture tests, and fat-to-lean ratio verifications on processed items like sausages, mince, and burger patties.
• × Shelf-Life Control:
  Audit display fridges for "sell-by" and "expiry" dates, ensuring efficient stock rotation (First In, First Out / FIFO) and pulling compromised stock immediately.

• × Swabbing & Lab Testing:
  Perform regular environmental swabbing of meat cutting tables, bandsaws, mincers, and knives to test for pathogens like Listeria or Salmonella.
• × Chemical & Pest Control:
  Oversee deep-cleaning schedules, verify the correct concentration of food-safe sanitizers, and monitor pest control measures.

• × Non-Conformance Handling:
  Identify, isolate, and log defective or contaminated meat batches (placing them "on hold") to ensure they are not sold.
• × Root Cause Analysis:
  Investigate quality failures or customer complaints, implementing corrective actions alongside the production manager or Master Blockman to prevent reoccurrence.

Maintain daily quality logs, non-conformance reports, temperature sheets, and traceability documentation for audits.