Food of Animal Origin

Storage & Transport Meat

Food business operators that store and transport meat of domestic bovines, porcine, ovine and caprine animals and domestic solipeds must comply with the following requirements.

Unless otherwise provided, post-mortem inspection must be followed immediately by chilling in the slaughterhouse to ensure a temperature of not more than three degrees Celsius for offal and seven degrees Celsius for other meat, together with a chilling curve that ensures the continuous decrease in the temperature.  There must be adequate ventilation to prevent condensation on the surface of the meat.

Meat must attain the above temperature and retain it during storage.  It must attain the temperature before transport and remain at that temperature during transport.  Transport may also be permitted if the regulator authorises it to enable the production of specific products provided that such transport takes place in accordance with the requirements that the authority imposes: the meat leaves the slaughterhouse or cutting house on the same site immediately, and the transport takes place within two hours.

Microbiological Criteria

Meat intended for freezing must be frozen without undue delay taking account, where necessary of a stabilisation period.  Exposed meat must be stored and transported separately from packaged meat, when they are stored and transported at different times or in such a way that the packaging material or manner of storage or transport cannot be a source of contamination for the meat.

For instance, it must not contain toxins, microorganisms or metabolites in quantities that pose an unacceptable risk to human health.  This should be secured by a preventative approach by way of implementation of good hygiene practise and the application of procedures based on HACCP principles.

EU regulations specify microbiological criteria for carcasses of cattle, sheep, goats and horses.  Testing is required when validating the adequacy of the systems in place.  The shelf life must be determined by a strict testing program to ensure that criteria are met over the intended shelf life.  The substantive microbiological criteria set out in the regulations must be complied with.

Unsafe Food

Food business operators must not put unsafe food on the market.  It is deemed unsafe if it is injurious to health or unfit for human consumption.  In determining whether it is unsafe, regard is to be had to the health and normal conditions of use by the consumer at each stage of production, processing and distribution, and the information provided to the consumer, including that on the label and that generally available to the consumer concerning the avoidance of health risks from particular foods or types of foods.

In deciding whether a food is injurious to health, regard is to be had only to probable immediate short-term and long-term effects of the food on the health of the person consuming it, but also on subsequent generations and the probable cumulative toxic effects to the particular health sensitivities of particular categories of consumers where food is intended for that category of consumers.

Regard is had to whether food is unacceptable for human consumption according to its intended use by reason of contamination, extraneous matters or otherwise or through deterioration, putrefaction or delay.

When food which is unsafe is part of a batch, lot or consignment of the same class, it is presumed that all food in that batch, lot or consignment is also unsafe unless a detailed assessment shows that there is evidence for the contrary.

Presumed Unfit

Specific food hygiene rules laid down by EU regulation on food of animal origin require that meat is to be declared unfit for human consumption if

• it derives from animals that have not undergone anti-mortem inspection (say for hunted wild game)
• derives from an animal which has not undergone post-mortem inspection (unless exempted specifically under regulation)
• derives from animals which are dead before slaughter, stillborn, unborn or slaughtered under the age of seven days
• results in trimming of sticking points
• derives from animals affected by World Organization for Animal Health list A or list B diseases unless otherwise excepted
• derives from animals affected by generalised diseases such as septicaemia and other equivalent diseases
• is not in conformity with microbiological criteria laid down by EU legislation
• exhibits parasitic infection unless specifically permitted
• contains residues or contaminants in excess of EU levels
• deliveries derives from animals or carcasses containing residues of forbidden substances or from animals which have been treated with forbidden substances
• consists of the liver or kidneys of animals more than two years old from regions where the presence of heavy metals have been revealed in the environment
• has been treated illegally with  contaminating substances
• has been treated illegally with ionising or UV rays
• contains foreign bodies
• exceeds the maximum permitted radioactivity levels under EU legislation
• indicates pathophysiological changes, anomalies, inconsistencies
• derives from emaciated animals.
• contains specified risk material except those specifically permitted under regulations
• shows soiling feaceal   or other contamination
• consists of blood that may constitute a risk for the public or animal health owing to the health status of the animal from which it arrives
• in the opinion of the official veterinarian after examination of all information constitutes a risk for public or animal health or
• is for any other reason not suitable for human consumption

Approval of Establishment

Establishments handling products for which the regulation applies requirements must be specifically approved by the competent authority.  Establishments carrying out primary production, transport and storage of products not requiring temperature control or retail operations other than those specified are exempted from this requirement.  It may be subjected to other regulations which require their registrations.

TSE & SRM

There are specific regulations setting down rules in order to prevent control and eradicate certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE).  Bovine spongiform encephalopathies are a variant type of TSE.

Specified risk material must be removed and disposed of in accordance with the regulation.

• Certain tissues are designated as specified risk material if they come from animals whose origin is in a member state or a third country which is within a controlled or undetermined TSE risk.
• As regards bovine animals excluding certain parts and spinal cords of animals over 12 months
• Vertebral column extending and certain other parts of animals over 13 months
• the torsos, intestines and other parts of animals of all ages

Different risk factors apply to bovine and caprine animals.  Specified risk materials must be removed from the food and food chain and be disposed of.  SRMs must be removed from slaughterhouses under controlled conditions. The legislation allows for beef trade on the bone in certain cases and allows for the removal of points from the food chain later than the slaughterhouses, such as at cutting plants or retail outlets.  Certain additional conditions apply.

There are requirements in relation to the identification of any SRM vertebral column on the establishment.  All sides and wholesale cuts of beef containing vertebral columns must have a label to enable judgment of whether they are 13 months or more.  There must be documentation to accompany the meat indicating whether any vertebral column in beef sides or wholesale cuts comes from animals within certain categories of risk.

There must be provisions for the safe removal of SRM from products destined for human consumption.  There are specific conditions in relation to the manner in which the operation is to be performed, the plant, equipment and circumstances applicable.

Official Vet & ID Marks

The official veterinarian must be appointed by the regulator to supervise health marking and marks used.  The health mark may only be applied to domestic ungulates which have undergone anti-mortem and post-mortem inspection in accordance with the regulations.  There must be no grounds for declaring the meat unfit for human consumption.

Health marking must take place on the external surface of the carcass by stamping a mark in ink or branding and in such a manner that if carcasses are cut into half carcases or quarters or half carcasses are cut into three pieces, each bears a health mark.  The mark must be of designated size and must have name of the country in which the establishment is situated or a code, the approval number of the slaughterhouse and must include certain other abbreviations designating EU origin, the size mentioned etc. of the letters are set out in legislation. The health mark may also include an indication of the official veterinarian who carried out the health inspection.

A product of animal origin handled in an establishment subject to approval may not be marketed unless it has an identification mark applied in accordance with EU regulations.  It must be applied before the product leaves the establishment.  Where a product’s packaging or wrapping is removed or is further processed in another establishment, an EU mark must be applied.  It must indicate the approval and number of the establishment where the latter operation occurred.

The identification mark must bear the name of the country in which the establishment is located, which may be set out by code. The mark may, depending on the presentation of different  products of animal origin, be applied directly to the product’s wrapping or the packaging or the printed label affixed or the wrapping of the packaging.  The mark may be a  tag made of resistant material.

In the case of food of animal origin, products that are placed in transport containers or large packages and are intended for further handling, processing, and wrapping in another establishment, the mark may be applied to the external surface of the container or packaging.  Where products of animal origin are placed in a package destined for direct supply to the final consumer, the mark on the exterior of the package may only be sufficient.

Further regulations on general labelling apply to all pre-packaged meat.  This is set out in the section on labelling, presentation and advertising of food.

Beef Tracing System

A Council regulation establishes a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products.  They require mandatory traceability and origin labelling for beef from slaughterhouses to point of sale to the consumer.

There is a compulsory beef labelling system and a voluntary beef labelling system in order to provide maximum transparency during beef marketing.  Under the compulsory system, operators or organisations are required to label beef with specific information at all points of marketing up to the point of consumer purchase.

The requirement applies to all fresh and frozen beef of a carcass, deboned meat, cooked meat or minced meat marketed in the EU.  The information on the labelling of beef regulations must be attached or plied to individual pieces of meat or other packaging materials.  Where beef is unwrapped, the information must be provided in a written, visible form at the point of sale.

Operators must label beef with the following information,

• reference number or code of the animal or group of animals from which the beef is derived,
• the country of slaughter, premises and approval number, the country of the cutting hall and approval number and the origin of the beef
• If the beef is derived from animals of different countries, the country of slaughter, fattening and birth must be specified.

In the case of imported non-EU beef, an abridged form of information may be given.

 

Labelling Issues

There are a number of derogations from the labelling requirements.  Trimmings enjoy a number of derogations and may give more concise information on labels.  Trimmings are small pieces of meat recognised as fit for human consumption, produced exclusively during trimming operations, during the boning of carcasses or cutting up of meat.

There is a derogation for pre-packaged meat in a certain respect. They may list more limited information subject to compliance with the conditions.

There is provision for a voluntary beef labelling system.  An application for approval of the information to be provided and labelling system must be made to the competent authority.  Labelling may be approved showing particulars of identification number and sex, methods of fattening, information on slaughtering, method and length of maturation of beef,breeds and other information which may not be readily checked at the point of sale. The competent authority considers the application.

There are specific labelling requirements for prepared beef.  This is beef which has been cooked or otherwise prepared for human consumption in the caterer’s establishment and  beef within that meaning which has been bought in cooked.

A caterer providing prepared beef for consumers must not advertise the beef for sale or supply, present it for sale or supply or sale or supply it unless the countries of origin of the beef is indicated at the point of advertising, presentation, sale or supply is in clear legible type on the advertisement, menu or other presentation view.

Veal

The Food Safety Authority has produced guidelines for environmental health officers for enforcement of the country of origin of beef regulations.

There are specific regulations on the marketing of bovine animals aged 12 months or less (veal).  Conditions for marketing of the meat of such animals and the descriptions to be used are specified.

Without prejudice to other obligations, at each stage of production and marketing, operators must label the meat of bovine animals less than 12 months with the information on the age of the animal on slaughter within certain ranges, e.g. 8 to 12 months, the sales description in accordance with the regulations.

There is derogation in respect of pre-consumer phases of marketing whereby the age on slaughter may be replaced by a category identification letter.