Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

[X1 SECTION V: U.K. MINCED MEAT, MEAT PREPARATIONS AND MECHANICALLY SEPARATED MEAT (MSM)

CHAPTER I: U.K. REQUIREMENTS FOR PRODUCTION ESTABLISHMENTS

Food business operators operating establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations or MSM must ensure that they:

1.

are constructed so as to avoid contamination of meat and products, in particular by:

(a)

allowing constant progress of the operations;

or

(b)

ensuring separation between the different production batches;

2.

have rooms for the separate storage of packaged and exposed meat and products, unless stored at different times or in such a way that the packaging material and the manner of storage cannot be a source of contamination for the meat or products;

3.

have rooms equipped to ensure compliance with the temperature requirements laid down in Chapter III;

4.

have equipment for washing hands used by staff handling exposed meat and products with taps designed to prevent the spread of contamination;

and

5.

have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at not less than 82 °C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect.

CHAPTER II: U.K. REQUIREMENTS FOR RAW MATERIAL

Food business operators producing minced meat, meat preparations or MSM must ensure that the raw materials used satisfy the following requirements.

1.

The raw material used to prepare minced meat must meet the following requirements.

(a)

It must comply with the requirements for fresh meat;

(b)

It must derive from skeletal muscle, including adherent fatty tissues;

(c)

It must not derive from:

(i)

scrap cuttings and scrap trimmings (other than whole muscle cuttings);

(ii)

MSM;

(iii)

meat containing bone fragments or skin;

or

(iv)

meat of the head with the exception of the masseters, the non-muscular part of the linea alba , the region of the carpus and the tarsus, bone scrapings and the muscles of the diaphragm (unless the serosa has been removed).

2.

The following raw material may be used to prepare meat preparations:

(a)

fresh meat;

(b)

meat meeting the requirements of point 1;

and

(c)

if the meat preparation is clearly not intended to be consumed without first undergoing heat treatment:

(i)

meat derived from the mincing or fragmentation of meat meeting the requirements of point 1 other than point 1(c)(i);

and

(ii)

MSM meeting the requirements of Chapter III, point 3(d).

3.

The raw material used to produce MSM must meet the following requirements.

(a)

It must comply with the requirements for fresh meat;

(b)

The following material must not be used to produce MSM:

(i)

for poultry, the feet, neckskin and head;

and

(ii)

for other animals, the bones of the head, feet, tails, femur, tibia, fibula, humerus, radius and ulna.

CHAPTER III: U.K. HYGIENE DURING AND AFTER PRODUCTION

Food business operators producing minced meat, meat preparations or MSM must ensure compliance with the following requirements.

1.

The work on meat must be organised in such a way as to prevent or minimise contamination. To this end, food business operators must ensure in particular that the meat used is:

(a)

at a temperature of not more than 4 °C for poultry, 3 °C for offal and 7 °C for other meat;

and

(b)

brought into the preparation room progressively as needed.

2.

The following requirements apply to the production of minced meat and meat preparations.

(a)

Unless the competent authority authorises boning immediately before mincing, frozen or deep-frozen meat used for the preparation of minced meat or meat preparations must be boned before freezing. It may be stored only for a limited period.

(b)

When prepared from chilled meat, minced meat must be prepared:

(i)

in the case of poultry, within no more than three days of their slaughter;

(ii)

in the case of animal other than poultry, within no more than six days of their slaughter;

or

(iii)

within no more than 15 days from the slaughter of the animals in the case of boned, vacuum-packed beef and veal.

(c)

Immediately after production, minced meat and meat preparations must be wrapped or packaged and be:

(i)

chilled to an internal temperature of not more than 2 °C for minced meat and 4 °C for meat preparations;

or

(ii)

frozen to an internal temperature of not more than -18 °C.

These temperature conditions must be maintained during storage and transport.

3.

The following requirements apply to the production and use of MSM produced using techniques that do not alter the structure of the bones used in the production of MSM and the calcium content of which is not significantly higher than that of minced meat.

(a)

Raw material for deboning from an on-site slaughterhouse must be no more than seven days old; otherwise, raw material for deboning must be no more than five days old. However, poultry carcases must be no more than three days old.

(b)

Mechanical separation must take place immediately after deboning.

(c)

If not used immediately after being obtained, MSM must be wrapped or packaged and then chilled to a temperature of not more than 2 °C or frozen to an internal temperature of not more than –18 °C. These temperature requirements must be maintained during storage and transport.

(d)

If the food business operator has carried out analyses demonstrating that MSM complies with the microbiological criteria for minced meat adopted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 it may be used in meat preparations that are clearly not intended to be consumed without first undergoing heat treatment and in meat products.

(e)

MSM not shown to comply with the criteria referred to in (d) may be used only to manufacture heat-treated meat products in establishments approved in accordance with this Regulation.

4.

The following requirements apply to the production and use of MSM produced using techniques other than those mentioned in point 3.

(a)

Raw material for deboning from an on-site slaughterhouse must be no more than seven days old; otherwise, raw material for deboning must be no more than five days old. However, poultry carcases must be no more than three days old.

(b)

If mechanical separation does not take place immediately after deboning the flesh-bearing bones must be stored and transported at a temperature of not more than 2 °C or, if frozen, at a temperature of not more than -18 °C.

(c)

Flesh-bearing bones obtained from frozen carcases must not be refrozen.

(d)

If not used within one hour of being obtained, MSM must be chilled immediately to a temperature of not more than 2 °C.

(e)

If, after chilling, MSM is not processed within 24 hours, it must be frozen within 12 hours of production and reach an internal temperature of not more than –18 °C within six hours.

(f)

Frozen MSM must be wrapped or packaged before storage or transport, must not be stored for more than three months and must be maintained at a temperature of not more than –18 °C during storage and transport.

(g)

MSM may be used only to manufacture heat-treated meat products in establishments approved in accordance with this Regulation.

5.

Minced meat, meat preparations and MSM must not be re-frozen after thawing.

CHAPTER IV: U.K. LABELLING

1. In addition to the requirements of Directive 2000/13/EC (1) , food business operators must ensure compliance with the requirement of point 2 if, and to the extent that, national rules in the Member State in the territory of which the product is placed on the market so require. U.K.

2. Packages intended for supply to the final consumer containing minced meat from poultry or solipeds or meat preparations containing MSM must bear a notice indicating that such products should be cooked before consumption.] U.K.

Editorial Information

X1 Substituted by Corrigendum to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (Official Journal of the European Union L 139 of 30 April 2004).

(1)

[X1 Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 March 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs ( OJ L 109, 6.5.2000, p. 29 ). Directive as last amended by Directive 2003/89/EC ( OJ L 308, 25.11.2003, p. 15 ).]

Editorial Information

X1 Substituted by Corrigendum to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin (Official Journal of the European Union L 139 of 30 April 2004).