July 1, 2013

EU to improve meat inspection procedures

In a bid to ensure consumers are better protected from public health hazards, the EU has kicked-started a major overhaul of its meat inspection regime.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has made recommendations to member states on ways to improve their meat inspection procedures for cattle, sheep, goats, farmed game and horses.

The European Commission asked the EFSA to look into meat inspections because traditional meat inspections were not always suitable for detecting the main meat-borne hazards such as campylobacter and salmonella, the EFSA said.

The EFSA's recommendations include a more integrated sampling, testing and intervention regime for monitoring chemicals in the food chain, and the introduction of a comprehensive meat safety assurance system including clear targets for the main hazards in carcasses.

The Food Standards Agency said it welcomed the EFSA's work and would consider its recommendations in the coming months.

"The Commission will consider all the scientific evidence available before proposing changes to the current regulations. These will then be negotiated by the 28 member states, and scrutinised by the European Parliament and Council before coming into force," an FSA spokeswoman said.