Food Standards Agency
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Listen to this siteWednesday 8 September 2004
The Food Standards Agency commissioned two studies to evaluate the impact of Butchers' Licensing on hygiene practices and the operation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management controls in licensed butcher shops in England.
The Butchers' Licensing Regulations were introduced in England in November 2000 following recommendations from an expert group chaired by Professor Hugh Pennington, which examined the serious outbreak of E.coli O157 food poisoning in Central Scotland at the end of 1996.
Under these regulations, retail butchers selling unwrapped raw meat and ready to eat food must obtain an annual licence from their local food authority. Butchers must satisfy certain hygiene conditions, including the operation of HACCP controls, before a licence can be issued. Approximately 7,500 butchers in England received support to implement HACCP through a £4.5 million Government training and consultancy initiative delivered by the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC).
The studies were carried out by Campden & Chorleywood Food Research Association and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff. The findings are based on the views of some 725 retail butchers (representing approximately 10% of small independent butchers in England) and 218 local food authorities (62% of local environmental health departments in England). The methods used included postal surveys, interviews and, in the case of 120 butchers, independent shop audits. Information on consumer awareness and perception of butchers' licensing was also obtained.
The studies found that hygiene standards in butcher shops have, on the whole, improved as a result of the initiative. Local authorities are generally very positive about the impact on standards and believe the initiative has improved consumer protection. Butchers are currently the only small business segment of the food industry required to operate documented HACCP controls and implementation was achieved within a relatively short period of time (two years).
However, the studies also indicate there is still room for some butchers to improve hygiene practices to reduce further the opportunity for cross-contamination and to raise standards of cleanliness and hand washing. The report emphasises the importance of regularly reviewing HACCP controls and stresses the need to improve understanding of the food safety risks associated with vacuum packing. The reports make a number of recommendations for improvement in these areas. The Food Standards Agency is currently considering appropriate action in discussion with industry and enforcement stakeholders.
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(pdf 389KB) Appendices to UWIC reportDownload pdf
(pdf 167KB) Evaluation of the Butchers' Licencing Initiative in England (CCFRA) Final report (pdf 1.07mb)Download pdf
(pdf 1MB) S01011 Evaluation of the Butchers' Licensing initiative in Scotland (External) Get Adobe Acrobat reader You may need the free Acrobat Reader to view a pdfFind out what our other sites have to offer