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Inspection Marketing Meat and Meat ProductsUpdated: April 2008 Note: A change to federal regulations effective August 23, 2003 requires specified risk materials to be removed from all cattle slaughtered, regardless of where they are slaughtered. Specified risk materials are the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia (clusters of nerves associated with the skull), eyes, tonsils, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (clusters of nerves associated with the vertebral column) of cattle aged 30 months or more and the distal ileum (end portion of the small intestine) of all cattle. To provide further animal health protection, as of July 12, 2007, specified risk materials are also banned from all animal feeds, pet foods and fertilizers. This impacts how you handle and dispose of these tissues. For more information, please contact Jim Laturnas at (306)787-8525 or Jim.Laturnas@gov.sk.ca Producers who raise livestock with the intent of marketing their own meat or processed meat products should give careful consideration to where they will have their livestock slaughtered or meat processed. The type of plant where animals are slaughtered has a significant impact on where the meat can be marketed. Marketing meat and meat products nationally or internationally requires federal meat inspection If the intent is to market meat in another country or even in another province in Canada, the animal must be slaughtered and processed in a federally registered plant. Federal inspection is done under the authority of the Canadian Meat Inspection Act and Regulations, and is conducted by officials of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). These regulations contain strict facility construction and sanitation standards to ensure the safety of the meat/meat product, and require ante- and post-mortem inspection of each animal and carcass. Some countries require food safety standards above and beyond federal certification. The European Union, for example, applies its own certification standards above and beyond the Canadian ones. Some meat and meat products are subject to specific labelling requirements. For a list of federally inspected plants, information on safety standards, labelling and EU certification, or for other assistance, contact: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency Marketing meat and meat products in Saskatoon requires at least provincial (i.e. domestic) inspection (Note: as of April 2005, Moose Jaw, and as of December 2007, Regina, rescinded their city by-law requiring meat from inspected carcasses). The city of Saskatoon has a meat inspection bylaw which predates provincial legislation. Consequently the regulatory requirements in this jurisdiction operates slightly differently than in the rest of the province. This civic bylaw requires that the animal be slaughtered in a plant that is either federally inspected or enrolled in the provincial domestic meat inspection program. This bylaw applies to all meat and meat products sold to consumers, wholesalers and retailers (including restaurants). Provincial inspection is conducted under the authority of The Diseases of Animals Act and meat inspection regulations, and is similar to the federal standard. The provincial regulations contain facility construction and sanitation standards to ensure the safety of the meat/meat product, and require ante- and post-mortem inspection of each animal and carcass. For a list of provincially inspected plants or for other assistance, contact: Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Marketing meat and meat products outside Saskatoon requires health district inspection If the meat is going to be marketed in any part of Saskatchewan other than Saskatoon, the animal must be slaughtered in a health region licensed slaughterhouse and the meat processed in a facility that is licensed by a health region public health inspector. Health district inspection is done under the authority of The Public Health Act and Sanitation Regulations. These regulations contain minimal construction and sanitation standards and do not require carcass inspection. Prior to constructing a health region licensed slaughterhouse or meat processing facility, the operator should consult the senior public health inspector with the local regional health authority. These regulations apply to meat and meat products sold to local restaurants and cafes as well as to local grocery stores. Contact the appropriate health services district for the senior public health inspector in your area (see Related Links).
There is no inspection required on meat sold at the farm gate Livestock slaughtered on the farm can be sold only to a consumer who comes directly to the farm gate. The meat can be cut into steaks and roasts, ground into hamburger*, wrapped and frozen on the farm, but no further processing is permitted. For example, it cannot be turned into sausage, jerky, bacon, etc. and offered for sale. These products must be produced in a health region approved facility if they are going to be sold. All liability rests with the farmer. * due to increased risk from bacteria such as E. coli O157H7 with ground meats, proper sanitation of equipment and proper handling and refrigeration of this product is emphasized to avoid any cross contamination
Farmers' market sales Meat and meat products sold through farmers' markets must meet the regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction in which the market is located. In other words, products sold through farmers' markets in Saskatoon must be derived from carcasses that have at least provincial inspection; in all other jurisdictions they require health region approval.
There are different regulations for marketing meat and meat products to hospitals. If the intention is to sell meat or meat products to a Saskatchewan hospital, the meat can be processed by a health region approved butcher shop but the animal must have been slaughtered at a federally or provincially inspected abattoir. Hospitals fall under the Hospital Standards Regulations and, therefore, have different regulatory standards.
Labelling requirements Meat and meat products sold at retail outlets in a pre-packaged form must meet federal labelling requirements, which are enforced by the CFIA. The "Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising" is available from the CFIA website at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/ .
Meat product development and testing There are two agencies in the province which provide assistance in meat product development and testing. The Meat Group at the University of Saskatchewan assists small-to-medium-sized processors with meat product development, formulation evaluation and product improvement, technical support and troubleshooting, on-site inspection and scale-up, and sourcing of ingredients. It also provides seminars, short courses, newsletters and fact sheets. The program can be reached at: The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, also at the University of Saskatchewan, provides processors of all sizes with assistance in product/process development and technical services, interim processing, and food safety and quality assurance training, as well as access to business and market development services. It is a federally registered plant, monitored by the CFIA and operated under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) guidelines. It can manufacture, package and test nearly any meat product. The centre can be reached at: For more information, contact: |
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