Nominations are once again open to South African consumers to vote for their favourite butchery in the 2015 Cleaver Awards.

The Cleaver Awards have evolved extensively over the past 10 years since their inception, and today these prestigious annual Red Meat Industry awards recognise butchers and their teams, both regionally and nationally, for excellence in the supply of meat products that not only meet but exceed the needs of the South African consumers.

Prior to the commencement of these Awards in 2005, a national consumer survey was conducted to assess the real needs of consumers. This survey highlighted that the hygiene of the store, quality of the products, service and knowledge by the staff and value for money were paramount when evaluating their favourite butchery.

Butcheries cannot enter themselves for the Cleaver Awards; rather they have to be nominated by their very own patrons, which explains why these Awards hold so much credibility in the market. Butcheries are urged to encourage nominations from their customers by delivering not only an exceptional product and service, but also a hygienic environment.

Between September and the end of December, consumers are asked to nominate their favourite butchery via a national media and in-store poster campaign. Nominations can be made by sending an SMS to the number 32944 or by voting online at www. beeftalk.co.za (SMS nomination entries are charged at R 1, 00).

All nominations are recorded and audited and the top 150 butcheries with the highest number of valid nominations will be listed as finalists. These finalists will be audited in each province by independent auditors who will conduct unannounced audits during January next year.

Every year, the auditors go through an intensive standard setting exercise to ensure that all audits conducted across all finalists are uniform in nature. The finalists are independently audited against a 212 point checklist encompassing the four main criteria of Hygiene, Quality, Service and Value for money, which has been compiled by industry specialists.

Butcheries in each province are evaluated within three categories namely 3 and fewer tills, 4 and more tills and meat markets for the retail chains. The overall highest scoring butcheries in the three categories will qualify as National winners. Those butcheries with the second highest scores per province will qualify as Provincial winners.

Consumers who nominate one of each of the three National winners will be entered into a draw and could win for themselves a R1500.00 hamper of beef products of their choice from that winning butchery that they nominated

Celebrate our unique South African braai culture this Heritage Day and vote for your favourite butchery!

SMS the butchery’s name, suburb and town to the number 32944 or vote online at www. beeftalk.co.za (SMS nomination entries are charged at R 1.00)