Nominations open for SA's favourite butchery

These awards acknowledge butcheries which meet consumer expectations on in-store hygiene, the supply of quality assured roller marked South African Beef, their level of competency in offering the best advice on meal preparations and perceived value for money.

Each year, butchery standards keep improving, with more and more consumers acknowledging the Cleaver Awards to represent a genuine seal of approval. A vote from a customer means that superior value, service and surpassed expectations have been recognised. Last year, a record number of votes were received with 17600 people around the country voting for their favourite butchery.

Nominations and judging

Consumers can submit their nominations by SMSing "BEEF UP" followed by the name, suburb and town of their favourite butchery to 34194 before 31 December 2011. Consumers who nominate a national winning butchery in its category stand the chance to win a hamper of South African beef products valued at R1500. SMSes are charged at R1.

Butchers are judged according to three categories namely:

• Butcheries with four or more till points,
  
• Butcheries with three or fewer till points and,
  
• Supermarket butcheries

Once the votes are tallied, butcheries will be short-listed according to the number of votes received in each respective category. The short-listed finalists will be visited anonymously and independent evaluations by an Industry evaluator against a 212 point checklist will be conducted. Last year saw six national and 41 provincial butcheries winning Platinum or Gold Cleaver Awards.

Each National Category Winner will be awarded a first prize of a Platinum Trophy and R20000. A second prize of a Gold trophy and R10000 will also be awarded. There will be a Platinum and Gold Award winner chosen in each of the nine provinces. Winners will be announced at an awards function in April 2012.