Guidance on Food of Animal Origin and Applying for Approval

Food of animal origin includes:

• Fresh meat

• Mechanically separated meat
• Minced meat
• Cooked meat products (such as pies, ready meals etc)
• Meat preparations (such as sausages, kebabs etc)
• Shellfish
• Fish and fishery products
• Milk and dairy products
• Egg and egg products
• Rendered animal products

The rules bring all the hygiene requirements for products of animal origin together, rather than having separate requirements for meat, fish, milk etc. This guidance outlines what the law requires you to do and gives links to where you can get additional guidance to help you.

If you make or handle products of animal origin (other than selling them only to the final consumer) your premises normally have to be approved by the local authority. If your establishment needs approval, you do not need to register it as well. If your business is a slaughterhouse or meat cutting plant, it will need to be approved by the Food Standards Agency. New approvals under the new legislation replace previous approvals and meat plant licenses. If you set up a new business, you need to apply to the relevant enforcement authority for approval before you can trade.

You need to put an identification mark on your products and you must comply with the general hygiene requirements and some specific requirements which vary depending on the types of product you make. You also have to put in place food safety management procedures based on the HACCP principles.

Some foods, which were previously covered by specific requirements for foods of animal origin, are now subject only to the more general requirements of the regulations. These are foods containing both products of plant origin and processed products of animal origin. Premises which make such foods do not need to be approved, nor do they need to put an identification mark on those foods. However, the processed products of animal origin used to prepare such food have to comply with the specific requirements described above.

For example, if you assemble frozen pizzas using tomatoes, ham, cheese and anchovies, your pizza is not a product of animal origin and does not have to comply with those requirements. However, the ham, cheese and anchovies will have had to originate from approved premises which comply. (e.g. if you produce the ham, you must comply with the requirements for meat production and be

approved for this activity.)

Hygiene Requirements

In order to produce food safely, you must ensure that the place and the way it is produced is hygienic. You must make sure that your establishment is kept clean and is properly equipped and maintained. Foods must be hygienically handled. Staff must be appropriately supervised, and be instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters so that they can carry out their work hygienically. Those responsible for developing and maintaining procedures based on the HACCP principles need to have received adequate training. Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 describes in general the requirements you need to meet.

Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 sets out particular further requirements for different products, as follows:

• Slaughter, dressing and cutting of meat Annex III Sections I-IV

• Minced meat, Meat preparations etc. Annex III Section V
• Meat products Annex III Section VI
• Live bivalve molluscs Annex III Section VII
• Fishery products Annex III Section VIII
• Raw milk and dairy products Annex III Section IX
• Eggs and egg products Annex III Section X
• Frogs legs and snails Annex III Section XI
• Rendered animal fats and greaves Annex III Section XII
• Treated stomachs, bladders and intestines Annex III Section XIII
• Gelatine Annex III Section XIV
• Collagen Annex III Section XV

Your business must also comply with Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005 which sets out the microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. This Regulation requires food business operators of slaughterhouses or establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations or mechanically seperated meat to take samples for microbiological analysis at least once a week.

Managing Food Safety

Producing food safely doesn’t happen by accident. You need to manage the process in order to protect your customers and your reputation and to comply with the law. The hygiene rules require you to have in place food safety management procedures based on the HACCP principles.

The procedures you operate will need to demonstrate to your enforcement officer that;

• Hazards to food safety which might be present within your business are identified (“ What can go wrong, when and where?”).

• Controls are in place to deal with these hazards. (“What can I do about it and where?”
• Controls are carried out and checked. If something goes wrong everyone is clear what to do about it and then does it. (“What is acceptable?” “How can I check?” “What can I do about it?”)
• Procedures are kept up to date (“If I change my way of preparing food, do I need to change my food safety controls?”).
• Documents are kept which are necessary to show what the procedures are, (“What documents should I keep to show what my procedures are?”).
• Records necessary to show the procedures are working are kept (“What records should I keep to show my procedures are working and any problems have been put right”?)

The precise requirements can be found in Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.

Exemption for Retailers

If your business is a retail business, which is the handling or processing of food and its storage at the point of sale or delivery to the final consumer of the food (who will not use the food as part of any other food business), and produce products of animal origin that you supply to other retail businesses you may be exempt from having to gain approval.

This exemption applies if your supply of products of animal origin to other retailers is a marginalised, localised and restricted activity.

Marginal - the production of products of animal origin is only a small part of your business. A small part of your business would be considered up to a quarter of the business in terms of food.

Localised - the other retail establishments that you supply are in the immediate vicinity of your establishment. This is interpreted as sales within your own county plus the greater of either the neighbouring county or counties or 30 miles from the boundary of the supplying establishment's county. In Leicester this would mean supply to the whole of Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and Derbyshire or any point 30 miles from the county boundary.

Restricted - concerning only certain types of products or establishments.

Applying for Approval

If you think that your business requires approval please contact us so that we can confirm whether you need to apply for approval or just need to register your business.

A copy of the form to apply for approval can be downloaded here.

If you are thinking of opening a slaughterhouse or meat cutting plant the premises must be approved by the Food Standards Agency not Leicester City Council. To apply for approval, or for further advice, contact the Veterinary Meat Hygiene Advisory Service on (024) 76632026.

Further Guidance

Click the links below for further information about food of animal origin. If you require any further information please contact us.

Guidance on the implementation of HACCP procedures

Guidance on the Implementation of 852/2004 on the Hygiene of Foodstuffs

Guidance on the Implementation of 853/2004 on the Hygiene of Food of Animal Origin

Guidance on 2073/2005 on the Microbiological Criteria of Foodstuffs

UKMeat.org - a website set up by the FSA to help businesses that produce meat and meat products