Construction & operation of meat plants & pre-requisite programmes incl. GMP/GHP

What is the meaning of:

food hygiene

food safety

food suitability 

food safety hazard 

food safety risk 

Food hygiene —> keeping food clean and safe at every step of food chain

Food safety —> making sure food won’t make you sick when prepared and/or eaten according to intended use

Food suitability—> assurance that food is acceptable for human consumption according to intended use

Food safety hazard —> biological, chemical or physical agent with potential to cause adversehealth effect when present at unacceptable level

Food safety risk —> likelihood of hazard happening & severity of consequences if it happens 

What is the meaning of primary production, primary processing and secondary/ tertirary processing?

• Primary production —> steps in food chain up to e.g. harvesting, slaughter, milking, fishing (e.g. production & rearing animals at farm)

• Primary processing —> steps in the food chain where raw material (animals) is processed into raw food (e.g. abattoir slaughter processes)

• Secondary/tertiary processing —> steps in the food chain where raw food is processed into products ready for sale to consumers (e.g. meat cutting plants, heat treated products etc.) 

What is a food safety management system (FSMS)?

A holistic system of prevention, preparedness and own —> check activities to manage food safety and hygiene in a food business

What is the main FSMS?

HACCP —> Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point —> system that identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards significant for the safety of food produced in the given process

What is an FBO?

Food business operator (premises)

What are the mean responsibilities of the ofificial veterinarian (OV)?

• Auditing:

  • prerequisite programs (PRPs)(GMP/GHP) —> abattoir design

  • HACCP —> food safety management system

  • animal welfare

• Ante-mortem inspection

• Post-mortem meat inspection

  • Pathology

  • Contamination

  • SRM (specified risk material) removal

• Residue sampling

• Enforcement

Each FBO should implement prerequisite programs (PRPS), what should these consist of?

• Good hygiene practices (GHP) —> appropriate cleaning and disinfection, personal hygiene

• Good manufacturing practices (GMP) —> appropriate processing temperature, tools, equipment

What are the interrelated elements of FSMs?

• Good Practices/GMP/GHP = PRPs

• Hazard Analysis/HACCP = OPPP & CCP Control plan

• Other statutory and regulatory requirements (e.g. microbiological criteria, MRLs, communication & traceability)

• Management Elements = System (non legislative requirement, plan-do-check-act cycle, internal audit, management review, process-based approach, improvement)

What is a PRP?

Prerequisite programmes

• Preventative pracices & conditions needed prior to & during implementation of HACCP & which are essential for food safety 

• Basic conditions and activities that are necessary within the organization and throughout the food chain to maintain food safety (not to control specific hazards)

PRPs needed depend on segment of food chain in which organisation operates & type of organisation 

What are some examples of measures that can prevent contamination?

• Maintenance of equipment/facilities

• Potable water

• Training of staff

• Storage of hazardous substances

What are some requirements in abattoir design regarding different species?

• If multispecies abattoir, each species processed on separate line (separated in time and space)

• pig/chicken abattoirs: highly compartmentalised (multiple rooms for different steps);

• beef/sheep abattoirs: usually only three areas 1) stunning/bleeding, 2) carcass dressing, 3) chiller

How are slaughterhouses kept as hygienic as possible?

• hygienic flow of operations (forward motion) - different operations must be physically separated into clean and dirty areas (include staff and airflow)

• moving between clean and dirty areas: only OVs, senior managers and visitors, but this include between-areas sanitation

• floors/walls: smooth, non-porous (no tiles!) and intersections should not be 90° (difficult to sanitize effectively)

What is lairage?

Holding facilities (pens, yards and other holding areas) used for accommodating animals in order to give them necessary attention (such as water, feed, rest) before they are moved on to slaughter

Describe the ppe in different areas of the abattoir

• white in food production areas

• green/blue/brown in dirty areas

What health certificates are required to be a food handler in an abattoir?

Salmonella testing - people can be carriers

How is knife hygiene manitained?

• Along slaughterline washing stations and knife sterilizers - hot water kills most vegetative bacteria but not spores and prions

• Meat cutting/boning - washing stations not required (would increase temp), knives changed during break

What are the types of FSMS audit?

• First-party audits - within organization (self-assessment, internal verification and continual improvement)

• Second-party - contractual requirements between a supplier (e.g. slaughterhouse) and a customer (e.g. supermarket).

• Third-party Audits - Competent Authorities (CAs) aim to ensure compliance with laws and regulations, noncompliance can result in product withdrawal or recall, and possibly legal action