Construction and operation of meat plants and prerequisite programmes

what is food hygiene?

all conditions and measures necessary to ensure the safety and suitability of food at all stages of the food chain

what is a food handler?

any person who directly handles packaged or unpackaged food, food equipment and utensils, or food contact surfaces and is therefore expected to comply with food hygiene requirements

what is food safety?

assurance that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared and/or eaten according to its intended use

what is food sustainability?

assurance that food is acceptable for human consumption according to its intended
use

what is a food safety hazard?

A biological, chemical or physical agent with the potential to cause an adverse
health effect when present at an unacceptable level

what is a food safety risk?

The likelihood of a hazard happening and severity of the consequences if it happens

what is primary production?

those steps in the food chain up to, for example, harvesting, slaughter, milking,
fishing (e.g. production and rearing animals at farm)

what is primary processing?

steps in the food chain where raw material is processed into raw food (e.g.
abattoir slaughter processes)

what is 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 are food safety management systems (FSMS)?

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

what is HACC?

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 retained EU law?

domestic law created to preserve legal continuity after EU exit

what is FBO?

food business operator (premises)

who regulates abattoirs?

• food standards agency (England)

• food standards Scotland

• Agricultural, environmental and rural affairs (NI)

what are the responsibilities of the official vet (OV)?

• Auditing:

  • prerequisite programs (PRPs)(GMP/GHP)

  • HACCP - food safety management system

  • animal welfare

• Ante-mortem inspection

• Post-mortem meat inspection

  • Pathology

  • Contamination

  • SRM removal

• Residue sampling

• Enforcement

what do prerequisite programs (PRPs) include?

• (part of the FSMS)

• good hygiene practices (GHP)

• good manufacturing practices (GMP)

• other good practices

what is the role of PRPs?

provide the foundation for effective
HACCP implementation and should be in place before any HACCP-based procedures are established

what are the interrelated elements of the FSMS?

• Good Practices/GMP/GHP = PRPs (Codex guidelines; regulatory requirements in the EU – Reg. 852/2004; detailed requirements available in ISO/TS 22002 standard series)

• Hazard Analysis/HACCP = OPPP & CCP Control plan (Codex principles & guidelines; regulatory requirement in the EU – Reg. 852/2004; detailed requirements available in all FSMS standards in dedicated chapters)

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

• Management Elements = System (non-regulatory requirements; e.g. plan-do-check-act cycle, internal audit, management review, process-based approach, improvement

what is the legal basis for FSMS?

• article 4 of regulation 852/400

  • hygiene of foodstuffs

• article 5 of regulation 852/400

  • FBOs need to put in place, implement and maintain a permanent procedure based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles; es (HACCP)

what are prerequisite programmes?

• Preventive practices and conditions needed prior to and during the implementation of HACCP and 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

• e.g.

  • good manufacturing practice

  • good hygiene practice

  • good production practice

  • good distribution practice

  • good trading practice

what is the aim of PRPs?

• aim to maintain general food safety but NOT to control specific hazards

• procedures that address operational conditions providing the foundation for the HACCP system

what is cleaning?

the removal of soil, food residue, dirt, grease or other objectionable matter.

what is a contaminant?

any biological or chemical agent, foreign matter, or other substances not intentionally added to food which may compromise food safety or suitability

what is contamination?

the introduction or occurrence of a contaminant in food or food environment

what is disinfection?

the reduction, by means of chemical agents and/or physical methods, of the number of micro-organisms in the environment, to a level that does not compromise food safety or suitability

what is an establishment?

any building or area in which food is handled and the surroundings under the control of the same management

what is a tool?

implement that is used in the dressing/processing of carcasses and coming into contact with a carcass/meat

what are HACCP based procedures?

• Procedures based on the hazard analysis and critical control
  points (HACCP) principles – i.e. an auto-control system which identifies, evaluates and controls hazards which are significant for food safety consistent with the HACCP

• very specific (unlike PRPs)

examples of PRPs?

what is the role of good manufacturing programmes? (GMP)

• Guidelines to ensure products are consistently produced to a standard that complies with statutory requirements.
  • More descriptive than regulations.
  • GMP covers all aspects of production inc.:
  • Sourcing
  • Equipment and its maintenance
  • Training, health certificates and personal hygiene of staff

what are good hygiene programmes?

More descriptive than regulations.
• GHP cover all aspects of production:
•checks on food chain information (FCI)
•the design and maintenance of premises and equipment
•pre-operational, operational and post-operational hygiene
•personal hygiene
•training in hygiene and in work procedures
•pest control
•waste management
•water quality
•temperature control
•controls on food entering and leaving the establishment, and any accompanying documentation

who is involved in designing an abattoir?

a team of specialist architects, engineers and construction personnel

what is a 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

abattoir layout?

what does white, green, blue and brown PPE in an abattoir mean?

• white in food production areas

• green/blue/brown in dirty
  areas

what health and safety equipment is worn in an abattoir?

• hard hats

• metal chain gloves

• masks/respirators

• hearing protection

how is knife and hand hygiene achieved?

• At each workstation along the slaughterline, appropriately located washing stations and knife sterilizers must be provided.

• Hot water (at 82°C), effectively killing most vegetative bacteria (~2 sec.), but not spores and prions.

• Alternative treatments possible (i.e. lower temperature/longer time), provided that the FBO validate the treatments

PRPs at meat cutting/boning?

must be kept at low temperatures (to reduce microbial contamination)

what does food chain information (FCI) include?

• animal identification

  • cattle - 2x ear tags, passport

  • pigs - slap marks, movement licenses

  • sheep - ear tags and movement licences

• Disease status and foodborne hazards status (e.g. Salmonella in chickens)

• Knowledge of residues

• Movement restrictions (TB or other disease) to the holding area

• More extensive in chickens

who is responsible for obtaining food chain information (FCI)?

• FBO is responsible for obtaining and evaluating the FCI

• OV to verify

who applies health marks?

by the OV or someone under their responsibility

what is a FSMS audit?

A systematic, independent, and documented process for obtaining and evaluating objective evidence to determine the extent to which food safety criteria are fulfilled. It includes procedures to establish the effectiveness of PRPs and the HACCP plan

what are the objectives of an FSMS audit?

• determine if the FSMS is operating in an effective and efficient manner and assess whether the audited organization is capable of meeting specific food safety requirements and goals.

• to provide evidence that food is manufactured in a safe environment and help determine if hazards are properly identified and controlled or eliminated

what are the 3 types of FSMS audit?

• First-party audits are conducted within an organization (internal auditors) and used for self-assessment, internal verification and continual improvement.

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

• Third-party audits are external audits conducted by an auditing company, regulatory agency, certification body, or registrar to determine conformance to a specified standard and may lead to certification or registration of the FSMS. Audits conducted by Competent Authorities (CAs) aim to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and noncompliance can result in product withdrawal or recall, and possibly legal action

what is a certification/inspection agency?

means an Agency that is accredited under the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) for delivering FSMS Audits and considered for approval by the authority to conduct food safety audits to certify that FBOs meet the applicable regulations

what is a certification body?

an independent body (private company) responsible of issuing a formal recognition
(certificate) proving that the certification in question meets specific national and/or international requirements.

what regulation allows GHPs in slaughterhouses to be subject to auditing?

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING
REGULATION (EU) 2019/627