Canned Meat Production Process
Busy people often rely on shortcuts to prepare meals, and one convenient option is canned meat. A craft cannery produces this meat in small batches, using only meat and sea salt, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
The production process begins with the arrival of meat at the cannery, where the quality control manager records the lot code and confirms the temperature of the meat. A skilled butcher then inspects and trims the meat, slicing it into smaller pieces if necessary.
The meat is then passed through a dicing machine, cutting it into one-inch cubes. At the filling station, workers manually fill aluminum cans with the cubed meat, performing a quality inspection and discarding any discolored or fatty cubes. A single cube of sea salt is added to each can, and the cans are weighed and adjusted to reach the required weight.
The filled cans are then cooked in a commercial-sized pressure cooker, producing tenderized meat in a fraction of the time. After cooking, the cans are cooled and dried, then moved to the packaging area where they are labeled and inspected for dense or damaged seals.
The labeling machine applies a label with the best used by date, which is next to the lot code printed by the closing machine. The canned meat has a five-year shelf life due to proper cooking and an airtight can seal.
Grammatical Structures in the Activity
- Present simple tense (e.g., “busy people rely on shortcuts”)
- Passive voice (e.g., “the meat is cooked”)
- Imperative mood (e.g., “discard any discolored or fatty cubes”)
- Conditional sentences (e.g., “if it’s a large piece, the butcher slices it”)
- Relative clauses (e.g., “the meat, which is cooked properly”)
- Adverbial phrases (e.g., “in a fraction of the time”)
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Cannery | A factory where food, especially meat or fish, is preserved and packed in cans or jars. | The craft cannery produces high-quality canned meat in small batches. |
| Lot Code | A unique code assigned to a batch of products to track its production and distribution. | The quality control manager records the lot code of the arriving meat. |
| Dicing Machine | A machine used to cut food into small, uniform cubes. | The meat is passed through a dicing machine to cut it into one-inch cubes. |
| Pressure Cooker | A sealed vessel used for cooking food quickly under high pressure. | The filled cans are cooked in a commercial-sized pressure cooker to tenderize the meat. |
| Present Simple Tense | A verb tense used to describe habitual or routine actions. | Busy people rely on shortcuts to prepare meals. |
| Passive Voice | A grammatical construction where the subject receives the action of the verb. | The meat is cooked in a pressure cooker. |
| Imperative Mood | A verb form used to give commands or instructions. | Discard any discolored or fatty cubes. |
| Conditional Sentences | Sentences that describe a condition and its potential consequences. | If it’s a large piece, the butcher slices it into smaller pieces. |
| Relative Clauses | Clauses that provide additional information about a noun in a sentence. | The meat, which is cooked properly, has a five-year shelf life. |
| Adverbial Phrases | Phrases that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing additional information about time, place, or manner. | The meat is cooked in a fraction of the time. |
Watch The Video
Vocabulary Quiz
Vocabulary Quiz: Canned Meat Production Process
Choose the correct answer for each question.
1. What does a craft cannery use to produce canned meat, apart from meat?
A. Artificial ingredients and preservatives
B. Sea salt
C. Aluminum
D. Pressure cooker
2. What is the primary function of the quality control manager at the cannery?
A. To trim the meat
B. To record the lot code and confirm the temperature of the meat
C. To fill aluminum cans with cubed meat
D. To apply labels to the cans
3. What happens to the filled cans after they are cooked in a commercial-sized pressure cooker?
A. They are immediately labeled and packaged
B. They are cooled and dried
C. They are discarded if damaged
D. They are returned to the butcher for re-inspection
4. What information is printed on the label of the canned meat, apart from the lot code?
A. The date of production
B. The best used by date
C. The name of the quality control manager
D. The type of meat used
5. Why does the canned meat have a five-year shelf life?
A. Due to the use of artificial preservatives
B. Due to proper cooking and an airtight can seal
C. Due to the type of meat used
D. Due to the size of the cans
Answer Key:
1. B. Sea salt
2. B. To record the lot code and confirm the temperature of the meat
3. B. They are cooled and dried
4. B. The best used by date
5. B. Due to proper cooking and an airtight can seal
Grammar Focus
Grammar Focus: Passive Voice
Grammar Quiz:
1. The new employee _______ by the HR department yesterday.
- was interviewed
- interviews
- have been interviewed
- is interviewing
2. By next year, the new factory _______ by a team of expert engineers.
- will be managed
- is managing
- manages
- have managed
3. The quality of the canned meat _______ carefully by the quality control manager.
- is checked
- checks
- have been checking
- are checking
4. The lot code and the temperature of the meat _______ before processing.
- are recorded
- record
- have been recorded
- was recording
5. The labels _______ by the labeling machine with the best used by date.
- are applied
- apply
- have been applied
- applies
Answer Key:
1. was interviewed
2. will be managed
3. is checked
4. are recorded
5. are applied
