Food hygiene
Food hygiene legislation is almost completely harmonised throughout the European Union, under the Single Market. It consists of a number of product-specific hygiene Directives, covering products of animal origin including meat hygiene, milk and milk products, fish and shellfish, shell eggs and egg products. These Directives cover their products through the food chain up to, but not including, retail and catering. There is also a general food hygiene Directive which covers the remaining food products not of animal origin, and the retail and catering sectors generally. The European Commission is currently working on a consolidation and simplification proposal, which would amalgamate all the hygiene directives into one.
Responsibility for food hygiene policy and legislation rests with the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) and the Department of Health (DH), and will become a Food Standards Agency responsibility. JFSSG at the Department of Health currently takes the lead on policy and legislation on the general food hygiene Directive. Details and connected publications on this can be found on the Department of Health Website. JFSSG at MAFF generally has lead responsibility for the product-specific hygiene directives.
LATEST NEWS:
The Food Standards Agency is likely to come into being some time during 2000. Legislation has been introduced into Parliament.
Contents:
Meat Hygiene
We have published on our Web site all of the Meat
Hygiene Enforcement Reports, commencing with the first issue
in May 1997. The reports aim to provide a comprehensive and authoritative
source of information on enforcement of meat hygiene standards in
the UK. The supplementary HAS
Scores Supplements are also available.
We have published the UK Government's formal response 
to the EU Food and Veterinary Office Report on UK poultry meat production. the reply was sent to the FVO on 21 March 2000.
'The Meat (Enhanced Enforcement Powers) (England) Regulations 2000 (S.I. 2000/225) came into force on 1 March 2000. These amend existing Regulations on meat hygiene. Occupiers of all licensed premises (such as slaughterhouses and cutting premises) in England have been sent a letter setting out the key features of the new Regulations. Similar legislation is expected to be introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.'
The Meat Industry Red Tape Working Group published its Report and Recommendations
on the 13 December. The Government's response
was published on 2 February 2000.
The Meat Hygiene Appeals Tribunal is currently undergoing its five-yearly review. A public consultation document was issued last year.
We have published the Interim trial audit report of the Meat Hygiene Service covering MHS operations, practices and activities in the areas of welfare, Specified Bovine Material and sheep head controls, post-mortem and certification. The report covers MHS operations, practices and activities in the areas of welfare, Specified Bovine Material and sheep head controls, post-mortem and certification.
For further information and general enquiries telephone 0207 238 5757.
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Milk and Milk Products
Dairy products hygiene legislation establishes hygiene rules for the production, wrapping storage and transport of dairy products. The Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1995 (as amended) implement the legislative provisions in England and Wales. The Regulations are enforced at production holdings by the Dairy Hygiene Inspectorate which is part of the Farming and Rural Conservation Agency (FRCA). They can be contacted on 01132 2303961 (Leeds), 01223 462762 (Cambridge) or 01823 352933 (Taunton). Food authorities (usually the local Environmental Health Department)enforce the legislation at dairy establishments. Enforcement is based on a system of registration of production holdings and approval of dairy establishments. Inspection frequency is related to the risks associated with the operations being undertaken. Non-compliance can ultimately lead to removal of registration or approval, which means dairy production activities would have to cease at the premises concerned.
There are three guidance booklets on the Regulations available free of charge from MAFF Publications:
- A Short Guide to The Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations For Dairy Farmers
(PB2339)
- A Short Guide to The Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations For Farmers Producing And Processing Milk From Goats And Sheep
(PB2337)
- A Guide to The Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations For Dairy Product Processors
(PB2338)
MILK PASTEURISATION HYGIENIC QUALITY CAMPAIGN.
The Milk Pasteurisation Hygienic Quality Campaign was launched in February 1996, to advise on-farm pasteurising operators (including those pasteurising sheep and goats milk) how to meet the pasteurisation requirements contained in the Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1995. The Campaign is also intended to promote a greater awareness of food safety issues and encourage the use of simple procedures to evaluate risk including practical tools to document controls and records.
As part of the Campaign free ADAS/Environmental Health Officer advisory visits are available. After the initial visits, the focus of the farm visits programme changed to concentrate more on follow up visits to monitor the progress of the initiative.
A free advisory visit can be arranged with ADAS on 01865 845137.
Part of the Milk Pasteurisation Hygienic Quality Campaign has included guidance to farmers and small scale dairies on the hygienic production of pasteurised milks. Two booklets have been produced - Guidelines for “on farm” milk processors and Food Safety Management, to help ensure on farm milk processors meet both production and safety standards.
A similar campaign is operating in respect of on-farm manufacture of dairy products, including raw milk cheeses. An advisory visit can be arranged with ADAS by ringing 01865 845137.
LATEST NEWS:
MAFF issued, on 21 January 1999, consultative proposals to amend, update and consolidate the Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1995 in accordance with EC obligations. It is planned to lay new Regulations in 2000.
On 20 January 1999 Ministers announced, following a period of public consultation, that sales of raw cows' drinking milk in England and Wales would not be banned. Instead, tighter controls would be introduced, including new labelling, to benefit consumers who choose to drink such milk. Ministers also announced plans to recover the full cost of production holding inspections and of microbiological sample testing of raw cows' drinking milk. Proposals to amend the relevant labelling and charges regulations will be issued for public consultation in due course. Policy in respect of of raw drinking milk in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
On 2 December 1999 an FRCA press notice announced that;
"The Dairy Hygiene Inspectorate of FRCA have adopted the Enforcement Concordat. Their revised charter and standards of service are set out in a booklet given out when inspecting dairy premises."
For further information and general enquiries telephone either 0207-238-6271 or 0207-238-6368 (fax: 0207-238-6745).
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Fish and Shellfish
European legislation lays down controls for producing and handling fish and shellfish. This legislation is implemented in Great Britain by the Food Safety (Fishery Products and Live Shellfish) (Hygiene) Regulations 1998 (as amended). The Joint Food Safety and Standards Group (JFSSG) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health is the competent authority for these Regulations. Local authority environmental health departments are responsible for their enforcement.
Countries outside the EU must be approved before they can export fishery products and shellfish to Member States. The Competent Authority in these countries must provide guarantees that controls are in place to ensure fish and shellfish are produced under conditions equivalent to those operating in the EU. Specific import conditions have been established for a number of individual countries.
The inspection and approval of establishments is a cornerstone of the legislation. The Department of Health Website (http://www.doh.gov.uk/jfssg.htm) provides a database of approved establishments in those countries outside the EU for which specific import conditions have been set.
The Regulations require shellfish production areas to be classified according to the degree to which the shellfish are contaminated by
E coli or faecal coliforms. The classification of each area determines whether or not shellfish require treatment before being placed on the market. Shellfish from commercial production areas are monitored, usually on a monthly basis, by local authorities. The monitoring data is reviewed annually and MAFF issue a list of classified areas for England and Wales. The classification comes into effect on 1 September each year. Similar classifications are carried out in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The current classification for England and Wales is available or a copy can be obtained from the contact below.
Shellfish harvesting areas are monitored for marine biotoxins through a programme of regular sampling and testing which is carried out under the Regulations. These toxins, which are produced by naturally occurring algae, can accumulate in shellfish to levels, which can cause food poisoning in humans. The Regulations provide maximum permitted levels for paralytic shellfish poison (PSP), diarrhetic shellfish poison (DSP) and amnesic shellfish poison (ASP). When the toxins are found to exceed these limits harvesting restrictions are imposed. The monitoring programme has shown that shellfish taken from harvesting areas in England and Wales can contain marine biotoxins at very low levels. Occasionally, levels exceed the limits and harvesting is restricted in the affected area. Liaison between JFSSG, local authorities and local industry ensures that any restrictions operate effectively.
LATEST NEWS:
The Food Safety (Fishery Products and Live Shellfish) (Hygiene) Amendment (No 2) Regulations 1999 came into force on 30 June 1999. These Regulations introduce charges for hygiene inspections of fishery products landed by EU vessels and fishery products entering preparation and processing establishments
For further information and for general enquiries please contact either 0171 238 5888 or 0171 238 5883. Fax: 0171 238 6745.
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Shell Eggs and Egg Products
European Union legislation on the marketing of shell hen eggs, is not a hygiene measure as such but does include provisions with this purpose, including controls on the temperature of eggs in storage and distribution, rules that effect a 'best before' date of 28 days after lay, and a ban on washing of Grade A eggs (those that are generally sold to consumers). The Egg Marketing Inspectorate is the enforcement authority.
The Egg Products Regulations 1993 set out the hygiene and health requirements for the production and placing on the market of egg products (which are liquid or powdered egg white, yolk and/or whole egg, but not processed products made with eggs, such as mayonnaise). The Regulations include requirements for the approval of processing plants, microbiological and other specifications and other requirements relating to production, storage, transport, etc.
The Regulations are enforced by local authority Environmental Health Departments. Guidance on the Egg Products Regulations has been issued to all Environmental Health Departments.
LATEST NEWS:
The Guidance on the Egg Products Regulations 1993 is currently being revised. A copy of the draft will appear on this website when it is sent out for public consultation.
For further information or general enquiries please telephone either 0207-238-6556 or 0207-238-6461 (fax: 0207-238-6745).
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Consolidation and Simplification of the EU Food Hygiene Legislation
There are a number of hygiene Directives currently in force in the European Union. The separate pieces of legislation lack consistency.
This situation may soon change. The European Commission has held a major public consultation on consolidating and simplifying the legislation. It aims to improve the coherence, transparency and user-friendliness of the legislation, and so enhance public health protection. The initiative has broad support among member states.
LATEST NEWS:
We are expecting the European Commission to publish proposals early next year. It is likely that these proposals will take the form of a single food hygiene measure. A copy of the proposals will be placed on this website when received.
For further information or general enquires please telephone either 0207-238-6556 or 0207-238-6461 (fax: 0207-238-6745).
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food
The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) is an independent expert committee providing advice to Ministers on the microbiological safety of food with a membership drawn from the microbiological, medical and veterinary professions, public and environmental health, the food industry, food science, food retailing and consumer affairs. DH and MAFF officials from the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group provide the Committee's Secretariat.
For information on terms of reference, membership, contact details,
press releases, minutes and agendas, meeting papers, annual and
other reports, working groups please see the Department of Health
Website.
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This page was last updated 8 March 2000
