Produce sausages by hand
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to produce sausages by hand in food operations. Producing batches of sausages by hand using semi-automated equipment is a key skill in meat processing and butchery outlets.
You will need to be able to prepare ingredients and equipment, follow a product specification and work to organisational procedures. You must also be able to hand produce a batch of sausages. You must also know how to address problems and be able to apply your skills and knowledge within food safety and health and safety regulations and any relevant international industry codes. You should also have an understanding of how the green circular economy supports repeated use of resources and products within your organisation.
This standard is for you if you work in food operations and are involved in the production of sausages by hand.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- prepare to produce sausages according to organisational requirements and standards
- wear and use personal protective equipment according to regulatory standards and organisational requirements
- check the availability and cleanliness of work area, tools and equipment
- source sausage recipe and product specification
- collect recipe ingredients to produce required sausages
- mince meat and fat, ensuring even distribution of fat through the mixture
- check visual lean of meat and adjust if necessary
- prepare sausage casings according to organisational requirements and procedures
- weigh ingredients adhering to product recipe
- add ingredients to meat/fat mince, mixing thoroughly after each addition
- start-up sausage extruder, load with casings and meat mixture and check it is operating according to organisational requirements
- produce sausage length to required product specification
- link sausages, by hand, to required product specification
- check sausage yield and quality against product recipe and specification
- store sausages according to organisational specification and requirements
- clean personal protective equipment, work area, tools and equipment to organisational procedures
- store waste for disposal according to organisational procedures and legal and regulatory requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- how to access organisational procedures
- the organisational and regulatory procedures that must be adhered to when making sausages
- the personal protective equipment required to make
- the tools and equipment needed to make sausages
- why it is important to have clean personal protective equipment, work area, tools and equipment when making sausages
- why it is important to keep meat or poultry cold when making sausages
- how to access the organisational specifications and recipes for sausages
- why it is important to adhere to the specific sausage recipe
- why it is important to mix ingredients thoroughly
- the importance of controlling allergens according to organisational and legal and regulatory requirements
- the differing specifications that relate to various products including sausages, links, chipolatas sausage meat
- how to estimate “VL” or “visual lean” and why it is important to sausage making
- the importance of keeping waste to a minimum, its effect on yield and the loss of revenue from sausage production
- how to check sausage yield and quality against organisational specification
- why it is important to check for yield and quality when producing sausages
- the importance of carrying out quality checks against organisational specifications
- the different types of waste occurring as a result of producing sausages by hand and how they should be disposed of according to organisational and legal and regulatory requirements
- the limits of your own authority and competence and why it is important to work within those limits
- what recording, reporting and communication is needed, how to carry this out and the reasons why it is important to do so