The Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations 1994

PART VIII SPECIAL CONDITIONS FOR PASTEURISED OR STERLIISED MEAT PRODUCTS IN CANS AND OTHER HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTAINERS

The conditions in this Part of this Schedule must be satisfied in relation to meat products premises manufacturing pasteurised or sterilised meat products in hermetically sealed containers, in addition to the general conditions laid down in Schedule 1.

A1.  Such premises shall have—

(a) a device for conveying empty cans hygienically to the work room;

(b) equipment enabling cans to be thoroughly cleaned immediately before filling;

(c) equipment for washing containers in potable water hot enough to remove grease after they have been hermetically sealed and before retorting;

(d) a suitable room, area or installation for cooling and drying containers after heat treatment;

(e) facilities for the incubation of samples taken from meat products packed in containers;

(f) adequate facilities for checking whether cans are hermetically sealed and undamaged.

2.  The occupier of such premises shall ensure that—

(a) containers are removed from the heating equipment at a sufficiently high temperature to ensure rapid evaporation of moisture and are not touched by hand until completely dry;

(b) containers in which gas appears to be present undergo a further examination;

(c) the thermometers of heating equipment are checked against calibrated thermometers;

(d) containers are:

(i) rejected if damaged or badly made;

(ii) rejected or cleaned if they are dirty and thoroughly cleaned immediately before filling, by means of the cleaning equipment referred to in sub-paragraph 1(b) above; the use of static water is not permitted;

(iii) if necessary, drained for a sufficiently long time after cleaning and before filling;

(iv) if necessary, washed in potable water, sufficiently hot to remove grease if appropriate, after they have been hermetically sealed and before retorting, by means of the equipment referred to in sub-paragraph 1(c) above;

(v) cooled, after heating, in water meeting the requirements in sub-paragraph (e) of B below;

(vi) handled, before and after heat treatment, in such a way that any damage or contamination is avoided.

B.  The occupier of meat products premises manufacturing meat products in hermetically sealed containers shall also check by sampling that—

(a) either—

(i) a process is applied to meat products intended for storing at ambient temperature which results in an Fo value equal to or exceeding 3.0 unless the equivalent stability has been obtained by the combined use of heat and curing salts; or

(ii) that a heat treatment procedure is applied which is at least equivalent to pasteurisation, the parameters being approved by the enforcement authority;

(b) empty containers meet production standards;

(c) checks on the daily output are carried out at intervals determined in advance, to ensure the efficacy of the sealing. To this end, suitable equipment shall be available for examining perpendicular sections of the seams or torn down seams of the sealed cans;

(d) the necessary checks are carried out to ensure that the containers have undergone an adequate heat treatment, using in particular control markers (where appropriate) to indicate that heat treatment has been applied;

(e) the necessary checks are carried out to ensure that the cooling water contains a residual level of chlorine after use unless the enforcement authority is satisfied that the water fulfils the requirements of Directive 80/778/EEC(1);

(f) incubation tests acceptable to the enforcement authority are carried out on preserved meat products in containers which have undergone heat treatment;

(g) pasteurised products in containers satisfy criteria acceptable to the enforcement authority.

C.—(1) The enforcement authority may accept the addition of certain substances to the water used in retorts in order to prevent corrosion of cans and to soften and disinfect the water.

(2) The enforcement authority may allow the use of recirculated water for cooling heat-processed containers. Such water shall be purified and have either been treated with chlorine or undergone some other approved treatment.

(3) The recirculated water shall circulate in closed circuit so that it cannot be used for other purposes. However, where there is no risk of contamination, the water used for cooling containers and water from retorts may be used at the end of a working period for cleaning floors.

(1)

OJ No. L229, 30.8.80, p.11.