Whole Foods Launches Butcher Training Program

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market has introduced an 18-month Meat Apprenticeship Program to train employees who want to become butchers.

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Training will focus on preparing cuts of meat of all species, meat merchandising and assisting customers in choosing meats and explaining preparation techniques.

The teachers will assess participants on cutting exams, meat sanitation audits and customer service exercises.

"For decades, neighborhood butchers were linchpins in American communities — shoppers’ trusted guides to selecting the best meat for their families and their budgets,” Theo Weening, global meat coordinator, said in a statement. “With today’s meat processing facilities, butchers are being taken out of the equation and people are more disconnected than ever with food. Our shoppers want to know where their meat comes from, how the animal was raised and how to prepare it. No one is better equipped to meet those needs than a classically-trained butcher.”

Read more: Whole Foods Teams With PBS Kids for Healthy Eating