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Introduction.

The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene)(Butchers Shop) Amendment Regulations 2000 require certain retail butcher's shops and other retail outlets which handle unwrapped raw meat, and sell raw meat and ready to eat foods from the same premises to be licensed by the local authority.  The licence is renewable annually and there is a statutory fee of £100.

The regulations were brought in as a direct result of the Pennington report into the 1996 E.coli 0157 food poisoning outbreak in Scotland.  During that outbreak 496 people were affected and 20 people died after consuming contaminated food from a butchers premises.

The Requirements.

Before a licence can be granted, the following conditions must be met:

1 - Compliance with the General Hygiene and Temperature Control Regulations.

The business must comply with the existing hygiene requirements of the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 and the Food Safety (Temperature Control) Regulations 1995, in addition to the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) (Butcher's Shops) Amendment Regulations 2000.

2 - Staff training requirements.

All food handlers must receive appropriate training to carry out their jobs and ensure the foods they handle are always safe to consume.  In addition at least one supervisor must be trained to ensure the effective operation of the HACCP system.

3 - The operation of a documented HACCP food safety management system.

A documented (or written) HACCP food safety management system must be in operation.  This means that the possible food hazards have been identified; appropriate and effective control measures have been introduced to control those hazards; the control and monitoring arrangements are working correctly at the critical points; appropriate corrective action is in place and implemented when necessary; checks are carried out to ensure the HACCP system is working effectively; and the HACCP system is reviewed at least annually and if there are any changes, e.g. a new product, new equipment, new supplier etc.

4 - The keeping of certain records.

Certain records must be kept at the shop and these relate to the HACCP food safety management system and staff training.

Dealing with the Application.

On receipt of an application an inspection will be undertaken by an Environmental Health Officer, who will carry out a full assessment of the licensing requirements as set out in the above legislation.

When all the licensing conditions have been met a licence will be issued.  This should be displayed at the premises.  Thereafter, the premises will be inspected at least annually in order to process the application for renewal of the licence.

The Regulations.

The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) (Butchers' Shops) Amendment Regulations 2000:
www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2000/20000930.htm