Meat Inspector Trainee

Posting Deadline: Jun 14, 2026

Headquarter Options: Richland County, Knox County, Crawford County

Compensation: $22.96

Who We Are: 

Agriculture is the heart of it all in Ohio! 

The Ohio Department of Agriculture protects all Ohioans by safeguarding plants and animals, conserving our natural resources and supporting farmers. ODA is cabinet-level agency reporting to Governor DeWine. Food and agriculture are Ohio’s number one industry, contributing $124 billion to the economy and employing one in eight people. Ohio is home to more than 75,000 farms, with agriculture touching every part of the state. Not only does Ohio rank number one in Swiss cheese production, but we are top three in the nation’s egg production and fifth in soybean production. Ohio’s farmers impact those well beyond state lines, feeding families across the nation.  

ODA’s beautiful campus is located in Reynoldsburg on 158-acres. Not only is parking free, but food trucks frequent the campus for coffee and lunch. You’ll find great coworkers here, who are experts in their field and care about the work they do.

What We Do: 

Working for the Ohio Department of Agriculture means strengthening our state with the help of our 19 divisions programs. Our staff ensures the products you consume every day are safe to eat and drink. We protect Ohio’s farmland, improve soil health and water quality, all while keeping our plants, crops, and animals free of pests and disease. We are home to the state’s top food safety laboratory and serve as the hub for a statewide lab safety system. Our folks protect consumers by ensuring you get what you pay for through weights and measures accuracy standards. ODA oversees Ohio’s 94 county and independent fairs, the showcases of our towns and cities, and protects fair goers by inspecting the amusement rides you love to enjoy! 

As a member of team ODA, you will be working with people of the highest caliber, doing great work, and making a difference for all Ohioans.

Click the link below to see what it's like to be an ODA Inspector!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MiEj1M-ibU

Job Description

No ag background, no problem! You'll learn all about agriculture from our top-notch experts who dedicate their lives to a cleaner, safer, better Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture's Division of Meat Inspection is excited to welcome motivated individuals to join our team as Meat Inspector Trainees—an opportunity to launch a meaningful career protecting Ohio’s food supply and supporting our agricultural community!  This District 2 position will be headquartered in Crawford, Richland, or Knox County. The position is responsible for:

• Receives training and mentoring from higher level meat inspector to learn procedures and assists in conducting inspections of registered meat plants, private, commercial slaughtering plants and custom- exempt red meat and/or poultry processing facilities
• Learns to perform ante mortem and postmortem inspections of carcasses and enforces state and federal sanitation, humane slaughter, meat processing and food safety policies, procedures and guidelines
• Conducts visual examination of live animal and/or poultry prior to slaughter while looking for abnormalities in appearance and behavior such as sick, hurt and/or non-ambulatory
• Contacts veterinarian for final disposition of unhealthy animals and records results
• Makes determination of age of beef through dentition of cattle 30 months or older for removal of backbone due to concerns of BSE 
• Performs visual, tactile and/or incisory inspection of head, lymph nodes, viscera, carcass and offal to include liver, heart, brain and tripe to determine whether or not pathological conditions are present, and carcass is in clean and wholesome condition
• Inspects all equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure acceptable sanitation levels and prohibiting use of unsanitary, unsafe and/or unapproved equipment and facilities until cleaned and/or corrected to include pest and rodent control, use of pesticides and chemicals, condition and use of potable water supply and waste and sewage systems
• Halts production for poor sanitation and/or non-compliance
• Assures proper disposition of unfit and condemned products, enforces sanitary dressing procedures and controls carcass branding
• Learns labeling requirements and assists in reviewing labeling materials
• Reviews proposed labels, product formulations, production procedures, quality control programs, quality control records and laboratory reports for state inspected meat and/or poultry establishments
• Checks formulations of all types of meat food products for compliance with federal regulations and periodically monitors inspection procedures for maintaining compliance in production of meat products
• Learns sampling procedures and assists higher level inspector with submission of product samples of products for analysis for microbiological adulterants and for consumer protection
• Requires meat slaughter plants to conduct microbial testing for generic E.coli to verify adequacy of process controls for prevention of fecal contamination
• Learns how to document verification results and navigate in the Public Health Information System (PHIS)
• Assists higher level inspector with other meat inspection duties as assigned
• Performs re-inspection of meat and/or poultry products and non-meat ingredients for such products intended for further processing or distribution
  Inspects critical control points in preparation and handling of meat or poultry products (i.e., monitors formulation, temperature controls, preparation procedures, use of restricted ingredients and sampling) to ensure compliance
• Prepares, maintains and monitors required records, reports and formulations concerning product condemnations and retentions
  Controls all sanitation discrepancies and corrective actions
• Assists in industry quality control programs
• Analyzes report deviations, travel and pay reports and submits such through proper channels
• Attends training courses (e.g., Incidence Command Systems training courses; Inspection System Procedures including Homeland Security) 
• Refresher seminars and on-job training activities