The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995

PART II PACKAGING

1.  The occupier of any premises shall ensure—

(a) that any material used for packaging fresh meat is strong enough to protect the meat during the course of handling and transport and does not cause a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics of the meat or transmit to it any substance harmful to human health;

(b) that any material used for packaging fresh meat is not re-used for this purpose unless it is made of a non-corrodible and impervious substance which is easy to clean and has been cleaned and disinfected prior to re-use for packaging meat;

(c) that every package bears the health mark either on the package or on a clearly visible label affixed to the package or wrapping material which fulfils the requirements of paragraph 1(f) and Part I above;

(d) that the health mark includes the approval number of the cutting premises or, in the case of offal which is wrapped or packaged in a slaughterhouse, the number of that slaughterhouse;

(e) that the health mark is applied in such a way that it is torn when the package is opened;

(f) that labels are serially numbered.

2.  The occupier of every slaughterhouse or farmed game processing facility in which offal is prepared, cleaned, wrapped and packaged in the same room in accordance with paragraph 1(m) of Schedule 23, paragraph 1(w) and Part II of Schedule 6 and paragraph 1(t) of Part III of Schedule 6 and the occupier of all cutting premises in which fresh meat is cut up, wrapped and packaged in the same room shall ensure that the following conditions are observed—

(a) the packaging and wrapping materials shall, during storage, be enclosed in a protective cover under hygienic conditions in the separate room provided for this purpose; and such a room shall not be connected in any way with rooms containing substances which might contaminate fresh meat;

(b) the room in which packaging and wrapping materials are stored shall be free from dust and vermin and such material shall not be stored on the floor;

(c) packaging material shall be assembled under hygienic conditions before being brought to the room where fresh meat is packaged;

(d) the place in which fresh meat is packaged shall be sufficiently large and so arranged that the hygiene of operations is assured;

(e) packaging and wrapping material shall be brought to the room hygienically and shall be used without delay and persons who handle fresh meat shall not handle packaging unless it is non-porous and corrosion-resistant; and;

(f) immediately after wrapping and packaging, the fresh meat shall be placed in the refrigerated room referred to in sub-paragraph 1(i) of Schedule 2 or sub-paragraph 1(a)(ii) of Schedule 3 or sub-paragraph 1(i) of Part I of Schedule 5 or sub-paragraph 1(i) of Part II of Schedule 6 or sub-paragraph 1(h) of Part III of Schedule 6.