VPHA Autumn Scientific Meeting 8th November 2003 Marine Hotel, North Berwick, “THE CHAIN GANG” VPHA Autumn Scientific Meeting 8th November 2003 Marine Hotel, North Berwick, “THE CHAIN GANG” FOOD SAFETY FOR THE RED MEAT INDUSTRY - An Industry Perspective Dr. Josephine Head Group Technical Director Dawn Meats (UK) Ltd. FOOD SAFETY FOR THE RED MEAT INDUSTRY - An Industry Perspective Dr. Josephine Head Group Technical Director Dawn Meats (UK) Ltd.

PRESENTATION CONTENT  Current Legislation  Legislative Proposals  Impact through the Supply Chain  Supply Chain Integration  Food Chain Information  Role of Enforcement  Food Safety Objectives  HACCP Implementation  Summary

 Council Directive 64/433/EEC of 26 June 1964, on health conditions for the production and marketing of fresh meat  Council Directive 71/118/EEC of 15 February 1971, on health problems affecting the production and placing on the market of fresh poultry meat  Council Directive 77/96/EEC of 21 December 1976 on the examination for trichinae (trichinella spiralis) upon importation from third countries of fresh meat derived from domestic swine  Council Directive 77/96/EEC of 21 December 1976 on health problems affecting the production and marketing of meat products and certain other products of animal origin  Commission Directive 89/362EEC on general conditions of hygiene in milk production holdings  Council Directive 89/437/EEC of 20 June 1989 on hygiene and health problems affecting the production and the placing on the market of egg products  Council Directive 91/494/EEC of 15 July 1991, Laying down the health conditions for the production and the placing on the market of live bivalve molluscs  Council Directive 91/493/EEC of 22 July 1991, laying down the health conditions for the production and placing on the market of fishery products  Council Directive 91/495/EEC of 27 November 1990, concerning public health and animal health problems affecting the production and placing on the market of rabbit meat and farmed game meat  Council Directive 92/45/EEC of 16 June 1992 on public health and animal health problems relating to the killing of wild game and the placing on the market of wild game meat  Council Directive 92/46/EEC of 16 June 1992, laying down the health rules for the production and placing on the market of raw milk, heat-treated milk and milk-based products  Council Directive 92/48/EEC of 16 June 1992, laying down the minimum hygiene rules applicable to fishery products caught on board certain vessels in accordance with Article 3(1)(a)(i) of Directive 91/493/EEC  Council Directive 92/118/EEC, laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in imports into the Community of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(I) to Directive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/445/EEC  Council Directive 93/43/EEC of 14 June 1993 on the hygiene of foodstuffs  Council Directive 94/65/EEC of 14 December 1994, laying down the requirements for the production and placing on the market of minced meat and meat preparations Current EU Legislation

CURRENT LEGISLATION  General  Raft of sector specific Directives  Out of Date (35 years)  Detailed, prescriptive rules  Inconsistent; unnecessarily burdensome; complicated; repetitious;difficult to enforce; incompatible with current thinking & practise

 Enforcement  Targeted at least public health risk  80:20 rule suggests 80% of risk lies with 20% of the industry  the majority of risk falls outside the areas of highest control

 Meat Inspection  Quality Control  Unfit v. Unsafe  Largely irrelevant  Unhygienic practices by inspectors  Spreading of Pathogens  Not compatible with Codex HACCP - based principles for public health

The Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health (SCVPH; 1999) concluded that current criteria were :  Not based on risk assessment  Not based on internationally approved principles  Many are not meaningful (w.r.t. public health)  Limited value from end product testing  Numerous  Varied  Laid down in different formats  Microbiological Criteria

1)REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the hygiene of foodstuffs (2000/0178(COD)) 2)REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (2000/0179(COD)) 3)REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption (2002/0141(COD)) 4)COUNCIL REGULATION laying down the animal- health rules governing the production, placing on the market and importation of products of animal origin intended for human consumption (2000/0182(COD)) 5)DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL repealing certain Directives concerning food hygiene and health conditions for the production and placing on the market of certain products of animal origin intended for human consumption, and amending Directives 89/662/EEC and 92/118/EEC and Council Decision 95/408/EC. PROPOSALS

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS  A holistic‘farm to fork’ risk-based approach  Adoption of Codex Principles for all foods  Founded in sound science  Responsibility for safe production of food by food producers

IMPACT THROUGH THE CHAIN

Assured British Meat  Launched January 1998  Founded by the Industry with MAFF backing  ‘Independently assuring integrated and continuous safety standards at all stages, across all products, from farm to plate’  Traceability as a core function  Recognises existing sector specific standards  ‘Little red tractor’  EN45011accredited

Benefits for ABM scheme members (?)  Minimal impact of proposals  Horizontal and vertical proportionality  Risk based enforcement

Primary Producers  Registration with the competent authority  Monitor hazards to food safety  Eliminate or reduce hazards to an acceptable level  Through application of GAP

Integration of the Supply Chain - Dawn Meats Model

DAWN MEATS  Group Quality Management System  Group Supplier Management  Group Independent Auditors  Laboratory Management System  EFSIS  BRC  ABM  EN45011  Very Little (!?)

Manufacturers/ Processors  Chilled meat not food?  Supplier assurance less onerous  Minimise product loss through improved traceability  Traceability less onerous (one up one down)  Better operational control information  Improved capability to identify causes of issues  (Competitive advantage/ preferred consumer choice)

Food Service/ Retailers +  Supplier assurance less onerous  Reduced risks of handling contaminated food  Minimise product loss through improved traceability  Category management -  Compulsory licensing  HACCP  Training

Consumers  Greater assurances over safety of food as purchased  Greater assurances over the safety of food as consumed out of the home  Reduced risks of handling contaminated food  (Communication & Education ?)

FOOD CHAIN INFORMATION

 Ante-mortem inspection carried out by the OV  OV’s role as auditor  Full time presence of an OV in slaughterhouses not absolutely necessary  Risk-based post-mortem inspection (OV responsibility)  Post-mortem by plant staff  Daily OV visits to cutting plants not absolutely necessary  Catering butchers and domestic game plants under OV control. ROLE OF ENFORCEMENT

 Prescriptive  Conflicts with Codex principles  Non – Scientific  Uneven Playing Field HACCP IMPLEMENTATION

 Reform of existing legislation is long overdue  Risk based food safety management should significantly improve public health  Proposed reforms are very much welcomed by the Industry  The Industry has (largely) been working to a Farm to Fork approach to food safety for some time  The UK has some of the best animal welfare and food production systems and standards in the world  We hope to be recognised and rewarded by our heavy investment in food safety management systems in terms of enforcement and preferred consumer choice  Consumer education is key to the improvement of public health  But will the FSA come up with the goods?  HACCP implementation is cause of concern SUMMARY