Meat Hygiene for Public Health

Significance of Meat Hygiene for Public Health

• Meat hygiene involves expert supervision of meat products to ensure wholesome consumption and prevent public health risks.

Inspection Service

• Meat inspection should be overseen by responsible government authorities and well-trained inspectors or veterinarians.
• The inspection service benefits from the support of a meat laboratory.

Quality Assurance

• Quality assurance ensures meat does not harm consumers when prepared and eaten according to intentions.
• Farmers, processors, and regulators all have a responsibility to make sure meat is safe and fit for consumption.

Objectives of Meat Hygiene and Quality Assurance

• Safeguarding public health through safe meat production, distribution, and consumption.
• Promoting domestic and international meat trade.
• Preventing meat loss incidents and preserving livestock resources.

Elements of a National Food Control System

• Protecting consumers from unsanitary, mislabeled, or adulterated food.
• Contributing to economic growth by maintaining consumer trust in food.
• Creating a strong regulatory framework for domestic and international food trade.

Scope of Meat Hygiene

• Controlling hygiene standards throughout the meat production chain.
• Preventing animal diseases.
• Maintaining appropriate animal nutritional levels.
• Careful use of veterinary medications and chemicals, noting withdrawal periods.
• Ensuring appropriate slaughter methods.
• Performing thorough ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections.
• Hygienically transporting meat to markets and butcheries.
• Maintaining the hygiene of butcheries and markets.
• Ensuring appropriate meat storage conditions before consumer purchase.
• Preventing meat contamination.
• Preventing meat deterioration and spoilage through temperature and humidity control.

Good Hygiene Practices at the Lairage

• Providing facilities for isolating and removing sick animals.
• Using pressurized water for animal washing before slaughter.
• Ensuring animals rest adequately (12 hours) before slaughter.
• Diligent ante-mortem inspections to identify sick animals.

Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) during Slaughter

• Slaughter on tables or rails to prevent contact contamination.
• Cleaning and sterilizing the slaughtering knife (82°C) between each carcass.
• Separating and washing the head from the carcass after skinning.

GHP during Post-mortem Inspection

• During post-mortem inspection, palpation and incision of lymph nodes, checking for abnormal tissues or infections.

Personnel Hygiene of Workers

• Wearing and replacing appropriate protective clothing daily (light-colored, preferably white, and clean).
• Maintaining clean and tidy work areas.
• Washing hands and arms, and sterilizing knives and equipment regularly using hot water.

Slaughter House Cleaning

• Daily cleaning and sanitation of slaughter floors, walls, and equipment.
• Implementing and maintaining sanitary standard operating procedures (SSOPs) for machinery cleaning and sanitation.

Sources of Carcass Contamination

• Farm contamination with pathogens/chemicals.
• Contaminated hides/feet during flaying.
• Butcher tools.
• Evisceration process contamination.
• Poor water quality for carcass washing.
• Unhygienic worker practices.
• Contamination from animals, insects, and rodents.

Unsanitary Practices (Habits)

• Avoid aimless movement during operations.

• Managing coughing and sneezing properly to avoid spreading pathogenic respiratory bacteria.

• Avoiding licking of fingers for picking items or turning pages.

• Avoiding cutting nails with teeth or butcher/inspection tools.

• Avoiding placing instruments or parts of body inside mouth

• Avoiding contact with saliva to avoid transferring salivary bacteria.

• Avoiding handshaking in the slaughterhouse.

• Avoiding eating and smoking in the slaughterhouse.

Types of Food Hazards

• Biological hazards (microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, yeast, molds, and toxins).
• Chemical hazards (cleaning chemicals, pesticides, drugs, heavy metals, allergens).
• Physical hazards (foreign bodies like stones, mud, glass, plastics, and metals).