Guide to food hygiene and other regulations for the UK meat industry
Wednesday 17 September 2008
Guidance, produced to assist UK meat plant operators whose premises require approval and veterinary control under the European Union Food Hygiene Regulations, has been sent to all relevant operators and is available electronically (see below).
As is stated clearly in the Guide (part one chapter 3):
- the guide sets out the legal obligations that apply to food business operators in the meat sector and provides advice on how these obligations can be met
- compliance with the law is not voluntary but operators are not obliged to follow the advice in the Guide as other ways of achieving compliance with the law may be equally valid
- the Guide is not an authoritative interpretation of the law as only the courts have that power
Consultation
The guide has been developed with the help of an editorial panel made up of industry organisations, enforcement authorities and Agency officials. The Agency has amended the layout and texts in discussion with the panel.
Chapters
PART ONE:
The Meat Industry Guide (MIG) contains the following Chapters:
Chapter 1. Contents
Chapter 2. Amendment Record
Chapter 3. How to Use the Meat Industry Guide
Chapter 4. Introduction to the Regulations
Chapter 5. General Obligations for Operators, Official Controls & Enforcement
Chapter 6. Hazards in Meat Production
Chapter 7. Approval of Fresh Meat Establishments
Chapter 8. Definitions & Abbreviations
Annex: Further Food Hygiene Legislation
PART TWO:
Chapter 1. Design and Facilities
Chapter 2. Water Supply
Chapter 3. Maintenance
Chapter 4. Cleaning
Chapter 5. Pest Control
Chapter 6. Training
Chapter 7. Personal Hygiene
Chapter 8. Temperature Controls, covers general requirements
Chapter 9. Acceptance and Slaughter of Animals, includes model documents
Chapter 10. Dressing of Carcases
Chapter 11. Cutting of Meat, covers specific requirements for cutting plants
Chapter 12. Meat Processing
Chapter 13. Food Traceability (Identification & Health Marking)
Chapter 14. Wrapping, Packaging & Transport Hygiene
Chapter 15. Waste Management
PART THREE:
Chapter 1. Application of HACCP Principles, includes HACCP template and generic plan
Chapter 2. Microbiological Criteria (see also www.ukmeat.org)
Chapter 3. SRM removal
Chapter 4. TSE Testing
Amendments to the MIG are listed in the Amendment Record pages, starting at Page 3 of Part One.
Revisions to the Guide are being circulated to operators this month.
- Most changes are minor but have accumulated since the original guide was published in December 2006.
- Changes include a number of updated legal provisions and Part Three Chapter 4 on TSE Testing has been revised to reflect the change in legislation.
Corrections to text
Please send suggested text or corrections of factual errors to the Industry Guide Editor, Meat Hygiene and Veterinary Division, Food Standards Agency, 5th floor, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH or email to: MeatIndustryGuide@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
MHS/DARD Manual for Official Controls
With the introduction of the new regulations in January 2006, the change in the official veterinarian's duties from supervision to audit of the operator's food safety management procedures, and the production of this Guide, the MHS/DARD operations manuals have been replaced by 'Manuals for Official Controls'. . (www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/meat/mhservice/mhsmanual2006/)
Related links
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