Risk hazards in meat and poultry products and hygiene control

Abstract

Following amendment of the Food Safety Act, all food manufacturers in Japan are required to introduce HACCP-based hygienic process control. Notification of the implementation of this systematic rule was provided in June 2020, and all manufacturers must respond to the legal amendments after June 1, 2021. Meat and poultry products are manufactured primarily at slaughterhouses, which were requested to introduce the Codex HACCP-based hygienic control system. The related industry associations then attempted to publish a handbook for hygienic process control and popularize and raise awareness of the food safety system. Furthermore, local governments are required to construct external evaluation systems for slaughterhouses in which microbiological testing is requested along with the standards for facility structure and equipment to judge adequate operations from the viewpoint of food hygiene. Given this background, this review summarizes current knowledges on the hazards behind meat and poultry, together with possible management practices to reduce such hazards.