Food Standards Agency launches cutting tools disinfection consultation
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has launched a consultation seeking views on the authorisation of the use of alternative systems for the disinfection of cutting tools in slaughterhouses, cutting plants and approved game handling establishments (AGHEs).
Alternative disinfection techniques, such as Ultra Violet (UV) cleaning cabinets, are “slowly coming onto the market”, as new chemical products and processes have been developed for the cleaning and disinfection of tools, the FSA states.
According to current legislation, slaughterhouses and cutting plants processing meat of domestic ungulates and poultry, and AGHE, “must have facilities for disinfecting tools with hot water supplied at no less than 82°C, or an alternative system having an equivalent effect”.
Slaughterhouses and AGHEs use a variety of tools, including knives, cleavers, and saws, while a growing number of modern cutting plants “not only use the same cutting tools but also use automatic cutting equipment such as slicers, filleting machines and dicers”, the FSA’s document added.
The consultation is seeking the views on the FSA-proposed authorisation process, and associated documents.
According to the agency, before a slaughterhouse or AGHE approaches the FSA regarding the use of an alternative disinfection method, the Food Business Operator (FBO) should consider “the potential impact it may have on exporting contractual agreements”, highlighting that some third countries “may not approve the alternative method, which may affect the ability to trade”.
Before any formal request to use an alternative method, the FBO wishing to install such a system is advised to discuss this with their official veterinarian or field veterinary leader.
The FBO should also produce a draft trial protocol detailing exactly how it is proposed that the trial will be carried out.
A field trial will also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed alternative system, under normal working conditions in a slaughterhouse, with the FSA noting that “any tool used in the trial must be disinfected in 82°C water after swabbing before coming into contact with a carcase again”.
More information about the consultation can be found here.
The deadline for the responses is Friday 12th January, and they should be sent to raj.pal@food.gov.uk or Raj Pal, Food Standards Agency, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6NH.
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