New Zealand and South Africa Workshop: Food safety systems for export Core requirements for food safety and industry systems for beef meat Prof. Steve Hathaway

Whole-of-food-chain approach A whole-of-food-chain, integrated approach to managing food safety is now globally accepted OIE and Codex champion a risk-based approach to preventing and managing food-borne illness Requires an effective partnership between industry and government 

Elements of a national meat hygiene regulatory system Legal and policy framework Standards and guidelines Effective operations, with industry having primary responsibility for food safety Compliance and verification Approvals, official assurances and certification Enforcement and sanctions Investigation, emergency planning and response Information management and communication Systems assurance International reference

Ensuring control Compliance Conformance of the operator with requirements Verification The application of procedures, tests and other evaluations to determine whether control measures are or have been operating as intended Audit The systematic and functionally-independent evaluation to determine whether activities and related results meet food control objectives

Supporting systems Science and risk assessment Policy and standard development capability Regulatory implementation tools e.g. industry codes of practice Training Laboratories Traceability Information systems

1. Primary production Environmental hygiene Good agricultural practice and good veterinary practice Safety of animal feeds Registration and proper use of agricultural chemicals and vet medicines Food safety interventions at farm level? What is a “clean” animal pre-slaughter? Disease control programmes

New Zealand: A marked farming systems shift 41% 10% Pasture Farm System 10 years 28% 54% SupplementaryFeed Farm System Grass, hay, silage, rotational paddocking Grass, hay, silage maize, grains, palm kernel

2. Primary processing Compliance with regulatory standards is an essential aspect of primary processing Guidance provided in codes of practice Humane slaughter and evolving science Facilities and equipment Process control and verification; including ante- and post-mortem inspection Targeted interventions Microbiological performance targets

Primary processing in New Zealand; circa 1920s

“Modernisation” of process control Global scale of change Scientific justification for procedures and processes Remove unnecessary compliance costs Ante- and post mortem inspection procedures becoming risk-based Understand and reduce cross-contamination Changing roles and responsibilities; industry, veterinarians and inspectors

Targeted intervention for E. coli O157:H7

Risk assessment Risk per 100 0000 consumers per year? Risk per 100 0000 slaughtered cattle?

Simple risk model for T. saginata: Simulation run

Simulation of probability of gross detection of Mycobacterium bovis after sequentially dropping out examination of a tissue Two reasons are given here for the correlations. One is that for instance the category > 3.78 includes the category > 4.4. The other reasons is that the contamination curve has been shifting to the left, affecting all categories. (See slide 2 the shift.) 15

Changing roles: industry inspection for suitability Cattle kidneys and calf kidneys, showing normal colour range on different diets

3. Secondary processing Food control plans / HACCP / risk management plans developed by industry Product should be fit-for-purpose Performance targets (voluntary and regulatory) Packaging and labelling Transport and storage

Risk management plan development for primary and secondary processing Animal Products Act 1999 Helpful Information: Regulations and Standards Codes of practice Industry standards RMP templates RMP generic models HACCP plans Own procedures Technical publications Trials and experiments Specifications Processor’s registered risk management programme

Risk management plan Development Validation Who? Evaluation Processor Write it up Development Processor Prove it works Validation Review it Evaluator Evaluation Who? MPI Final Approval Registration Processor Run it Operation What? Processor or MPI Verifier Check it works Verification Stop it Cessation

Contents of a RMP Scope Authorities and responsibilities Product description Fitness for intended purpose Contents of a RMP Process description Identification of risk factors: Hazards (human, animals) Risks to wholesomeness, Risks from false or misleading labeling Control of risk factors Provision for verification (Processor’s - unique requirements) Documentation and records

4. Accreditation and third party verification Approving and listing of premises Accreditation of third-party verification bodies and persons Availability of ISO standards e.g. ISO/IEC 17020 and ISO 17011 Codex: Official inspection systems and official certification systems; officially-recognised inspection systems and officially-recognised certification systems Competent authority sets the operating standards and monitors performance

New Zealand regulatory system

5. Systems assurance The official (audit) programme for assurance of food control and certification Enhanced by industry quality assurance programmes and private standards Underpinned by monitoring and surveillance National programmes e.g. residue testing, microbiological database Traceability (difficult with many small holdings) Basis for market access negotiations and equivalence agreements

5.

National microbiological database: APCs and E.coli

National microbiological database: STECs

6. Information management and stakeholder engagement Effective information flows required throughout the food chain Engagement with industry and consumers in standard development, reporting of performance and review Involvement with international standard setting organisations and counterpart competent authorities Websites and Information repositories

NMD national profile: Beef

Industry and regulatory Councils Mutual interests and interdependence of the regulator and the regulated industry sector in achieving national goals Demonstrate value to both government and industry leaders Ensure regulatory support for innovation and identifying / reducing costs where unjustified Demonstrate foresight in managing emerging risks and issues

Government - Industry Agreements Partnership approach to readiness and response between government and industry sectors Deed (contract agreement) Operational agreements work priorities for preparedness response plans Cost sharing Joint decision-making

Long term management: Bovine Tb

Summary A risk-based approach to meat hygiene enables continuous improvement at least cost Systems assurance operated by the competent authority provides confidence that the food that is sold, and the inputs to the production of that food, are approved, managed, audited and monitored in accordance with national legislation and market requirements Innovative approaches and new scientific knowledge are continually leading to sharper insights and more targeted food control systems