Poultry offline and online reprocessing and reconditioning procedures

On this page

  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Defect definitions
  3. 3. General criteria
  4. 4. Specific criteria
    1. 4.1 Offline reprocessing and reconditioning
    2. 4.2 Online reprocessing and reconditioning
  5. 5. Initial validation
    1. 5.1 Organoleptic sampling, testing and control procedures
    2. 5.2 Microbiological sampling, testing and control (E. coli) procedures
  6. 6. Post validation procedures
    1. 6.1 Organoleptic sampling, testing and control procedures
    2. 6.2 Microbiological Sampling, testing and control procedures
  7. 7. Regulatory examination process
  8. 8. Regulatory verification process
  9. 9. Defects Log: offline reprocessing/reconditioning for chicken, turkey and fowl

1. Introduction

In general terms, "reprocessing/reconditioning" refers to a process by which defects are removed from within the abdominal cavity of a carcass by washing, vacuuming, scraping, trimming, or a combination thereof. The procedures described in this document should be followed to meet the requirements of section 125(1) of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and section 3 of the document incorporated by reference 'Fundamentals of Post-mortem Examination Program'.

Licence holder may choose to handle carcasses accidentally contaminated with gastro-intestinal contents and carcasses with localized pathologies within the abdominal cavity at an:

  • offline reprocessing and/or reconditioning station
  • online reprocessing and/or reconditioning station

2. Defect definitions

The following defects are to be removed by reprocessing/reconditioning

Reprocessing defects (localized contamination):

  • faecal contamination
  • bile contamination
  • ingesta; and
  • extraneous material

Reconditioning defects (localized pathology):

  • airsacculitis
  • salpingitis
  • peritonitis; and
  • any other pathology within the carcass cavity.

Note: The definitions of the reprocessing and reconditioning defects can be found in:

  • Carcass Dressing Standards (CDS) in Postmortem Examination Program (Modernized Poultry Inspection Program); and
  • Disposition Manual.

3. General criteria

The following criteria should be met to ensure that contaminated carcasses are satisfactorily reprocessed and that carcasses with localized pathology are satisfactorily reconditioned prior to the carcasses entering the chilling system:

  • as part of Preventive Control Plan (PCP), the license holder must have written procedures for reprocessing and/or reconditioning for examination by the veterinarian with supervisory authority
  • the written procedures will include the following:
    • specify which type(s) of contamination or localized pathology will be controlled by the reprocessing/reconditioning procedure
    • must specify whether or not the crops will be removed prior to reprocessing
    • carcass disposition, retest parameters and review of applicable written and practical procedures in the event of sample failure
    • a description of the proposed procedures including, if applicable, the use of any microbial control agents
    • process flow diagram of the evisceration room (including each piece of equipment and the size and location of every industry employee and CFIA work station), product flow diagram (not required if the process flow and product flow is same) and an employee flow diagram for the entire evisceration room/area
    • the sampling location(s) and sample selection, tagging and handling procedures for handling carcasses, for reprocessed/reconditioned carcasses and for "control" carcasses which will be used during the validation period
    • initial and post validation procedures (for reprocessing/reconditioning process and carcasses) using organoleptic and micro criteria
  • the licence holder should ensure that samples are representative (random sampling)
  • cross contamination by carcasses in contact with each other is to be avoided
  • the written procedure Carcass Rinsing Procedures should ensure that rinse water does not pool and rapidly exits the cavity
  • any major change to the previously approved protocol requires a re-validation

4. Specific criteria

4.1 Offline reprocessing and reconditioning

  • If carcasses are to be placed directly into the chill system after offline reprocessing and/or reconditioning, dressing must be completed prior to the carcasses entering the chiller.
  • If the number of carcasses requiring salvage exceeds the capacity of facilities and/or personnel to handle the carcasses in a timely manner, affected carcasses should be discarded by the licence holder as "plant rejects".

4.2 Online reprocessing and reconditioning

  • The licence holder should be operating under the Phase 3 of the Modernized Poultry Inspection Program (MPIP).
  • Location of cavity defect detectors:

The cavity of each carcass when required will be examined by a cavity defect detector prior to CDS sampling.

  1. cavity defect detection prior to reprocessing/reconditioning
    The cavity defect detection must be performed upstream when the defect cannot be completely removed by the equipment and/or if the cavity pathology may be lost during reprocessing and reconditioning (for example, Flock with Aspergillosis, Ovarian Adenocarcinoma in Turkeys).
    The licence holder may perform additional Defect Detection Standards (DDS) under Postmortem Examination Program (Modernized Poultry Inspection Program) tests for cavity defects (only) after cavity defect detection to verify the performance of the cavity defect detection process. If applicable, corrective measures and post-chill product verification must be performed by the licence holder as specified for the DDS.
  2. cavity defect detection as part of reprocessing/reconditioning
    If the licence holder elects to move the cavity defect detection downstream to the defect removal equipment, the cavity defect detection becomes part of online reprocessing and reconditioning. The licence holder may validate an alternate procedure to remove the cavity defects using defect removal equipment with or without cavity defect detectors that achieves similar outcome and meets carcass dressing standards. In such case, DDS versions 2 (without the AQL for cavity defects) should be applied.

5. Initial validation

The license holder will validate the effectiveness of reprocessing and/or reconditioning procedures.

For licence holders that have 2 shifts, only 1 process validation is necessary for both slaughter shifts provided there are no significant operational differences between shifts.

The license holder that slaughters multiple classes of poultry, for example, chicken broilers, spent hens and turkeys, a separate process validation must be conducted for each class. Different weight ranges of the same class must be considered as 1 class and require only 1 process validation, for example, 1 process validation for chicken broilers and roasters or for all weight ranges of turkeys.

5.1 Organoleptic sampling, testing and control procedures

5.1.1 Offline reprocessing/reconditioning

  1. carcasses placed directly into chilling system:
    • when the carcasses at the reprocessing/reconditioning stations which will be placed directly into chilling system should use the following sampling plan.

      Reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcasses should be retained offline and sampled a minimum of every 30 minutes by the designated plant monitor over 20 consecutive work shifts subject to verification by the inspection staff and as per the following tables.

      Sampling plan for offline reprocessing and/or reconditioning
      Volume of reprocessing
      and/or reconditioning      		 Sample code letter Sample size
      Low (25 carcasses and less per sample period) C 5
      Medium (26 to 50 carcasses per sample period) D 8
      High (50 carcasses and more per sample period) E 13

      Based on Sampling Plan 2859-1, Inspection Level II, Statistical Aspects of Food Quality Assurance by Subhash C. Puri, Agriculture Canada, original source: International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Central Secretariat, Geneva.

    • Unsatisfactory sampling results

      A sample shall be deemed unsatisfactory if 1 or more carcasses in the sample has a defect within the cavity as listed in the preceding subsection. The operator shall then implement the following:

      • retain the lot according to the sample and re-examine all carcasses in the retained lot [defective carcass(es) are sent for salvage and acceptable carcasses are allowed to re-enter production]
      • notify CFIA
      • determine the probable cause and implement corrective actions
      • amend the written reprocessing and/or reconditioning procedure
      Note:
      • the 20 shift process validation is reset to 0 after 3 unsatisfactory samples have been accumulated.
      • the licence holder should ensure that untreated carcasses such as false positives and carcasses to be salvaged are excluded from the sampling of treated carcasses.
  2. carcasses placed back on the evisceration line:
    • when the carcasses are placed back on the evisceration line, ISO based sampling plan as written in 5.1.1 a) must be used to validate the proposed offline reprocessing/reconditioning procedures
  3. additional export requirements:
    • for exports (for example, USA), the carcasses subjected to the offline reprocessing/reconditioning must be presented to the CFIA evisceration floor inspector before returning to the evisceration line
    • alternately, the carcasses may be returned to evisceration line without presenting to the offline evisceration floor inspector as long as placed at a location on evisceration line to permit inspection by an online export inspector

5.1.2 Online reprocessing/reconditioning

  1. The CDS will be used to validate the proposed online reprocessing/reconditioning procedures.
    • Unsatisfactory sampling results

      A sample will be deemed unsatisfactory if 1 CDS test fails for cavity defects listed in the Section 2, Defect definitions. The licence holder will then implement the following:

      • notify the veterinarian with supervisory authority
      • defect is removed from the defective carcass and acceptable carcass is allowed to re-enter production
      • determine the probable cause and implement applicable corrective actions; and
      • amend the written reprocessing and/or reconditioning procedure, as necessary

      Note: the 20 shift process validation is reset to 0 after 3 consecutive CDS tests fail for cavity defects listed in the Section 2, Defect definitions.

  2. When required, the licence holder may be required by CFIA to perform additional tests and assist CFIA staff in performing additional CDS tests and/or DDS tests for cavity defects (only) after cavity defect detection for part of, or throughout, the validation process. If applicable, corrective measures and post-chill product verification must be performed by the licence holder as specified for the CDS/DDS.

5.2 Microbiological sampling, testing and control (E. coli) procedures

5.2.1 Sampling plan

The licence holder will collect 50 concurrent samples comprised of 1 control sample (carcass without defects) and 1 treatment sample collected from the evisceration line just prior to the chilling system.

Both carcasses must be approximately selected at the same time and same location.

When an microbial control is used as an intervention and as part of online reprocessing and reconditioning process, a drip of at least 60 seconds will be observed before sample collection to prevent excessive antimicrobial residual level in the collected sample.

5.2.2 Sampling procedure

Procedures should be validated by using sample collection and laboratory test procedures for generic E. coli as outlined in the Poultry Pathogen Reduction Program (See Chapter 11, Exports, United States of America).

According to a written procedure examined by the veterinarian with supervisory authority, carcasses selected for microbiological testing will be:

  • randomly selected
  • identified in order to differentiate between treated and untreated carcasses
  • selected at a sampling location which should be after final washing and prior to the chilling system
  1. offline reprocessing/reconditioning
    • Separate micro testing is required when licence holder uses a different defect removal procedure for reprocessing/reconditioning.
    • Separate micro testing is not required when licence holder uses same defect removal procedures for reprocessing/reconditioning.
  2. online reprocessing/reconditioning
    • Carcasses with visible cavity defects which are removed by the cavity defect detectors will be excluded from the E. coli evaluation.
    • Separate micro testing is required when licence holder uses a different defect removal procedures for reprocessing/reconditioning.
    • Separate micro testing is not required when licence holder uses same defect removal procedures for reprocessing/reconditioning.

5.2.3 Analysing micro test results

The licence holder will analyze the micro test results using the CFIA developed Excel-based application ("Micro Data Analysis") and user's manual. The licence holder may obtain a copy of the excel sheet from the local veterinarian with supervisory authority. For results to be acceptable, the geometric mean of treated carcasses must be equal to or less than that of line run production or is not significantly different as determined by statistical analysis.

After analysis, the licence holder must present test results to the CFIA for examination by the veterinarian with supervisory authority.

6. Post validation procedures

6.1 Organoleptic sampling, testing and control procedures

6.1.1 Offline reprocessing/reconditioning

  1. carcasses placed directly into chilling system:
    • the licence holder will continue to monitor effectiveness of the offline procedures using the previously described ISO-based sampling plan or the CDS program
    • when offline reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcasses are placed directly into the chill system, they must receive separate CDS monitoring at a minimum of twice per shift. Carcasses must be examined at facilities meeting the same requirements as for the CDS test
    • corrective action or process action is required as a result of these separate tests, it would only apply to the reprocessed and/or reconditioned product
  2. carcasses placed back on the evisceration line:
    • when the carcasses are placed back on the evisceration line, ISO-based sampling plan as written in 5.1.1 a) or the CDS program or final Critical Control Point (CCP) must be used to validate the offline reprocessing/reconditioning procedures
    • when the offline reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcasses are placed back onto the evisceration line and mixed with line run production, then the test results and any required corrective action would apply to both online and offline procedures
  3. additional export requirements:
    • for exports, the carcasses subjected to the offline reprocessing/reconditioning must be presented to the CFIA evisceration floor inspector before returning to the evisceration line
    • alternately, the carcasses may be returned to evisceration line without presenting to the offline evisceration floor inspector as long as placed at a location on evisceration line to permit inspection by an online export inspector

6.1.2 Online reprocessing/reconditioning

The licence holder will continue to monitor the effectiveness of online reprocessing/reconditioning procedures using CDS program.

6.2 Microbiological sampling, testing and control procedures

  • reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcasses will continue to be tested for E. coli as specified in the Poultry pathogen reduction either:
    • combined with the regular carcasses; or
    • separately. When reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcasses are tested for E. coli separately, then a minimum of 1 reprocessed and/or reconditioned carcass must be tested per shift.

7. Regulatory examination process

In order to facilitate the CFIA examination of the plant-specific reprocessing and/or reconditioning procedures, the licence holder should be ready for the following:

  • licence holder will ensure that all facility, equipment and competency requirements are met before sending request to the CFIA
  • the license holder will be asked to assist the veterinarian with supervisory authority to complete a pre-operational checklist towards assessment of the
    • written procedure
    • process flow diagram
    • employee flow diagram
    • product evaluation criteria
  • licence holder should only start the 20 shift trial after receiving CFIA's examination
  • the license holder will be asked to assist the veterinarian with supervisory authority to complete a post-operational checklist to ensure licence holder has met all requirements set in this guidance documents
  • the licence holder may also be requested to analyze and submit the following for examination by the veterinarian with supervisory authority:
    • organoleptic monitoring data
    • micro data including E. coli data

8. Regulatory verification process

  • At a minimum of once per shift, when requested the licensed holder must be available to assist CFIA personnel in regulatory verification of process control for offline reprocessing and/or reconditioning procedures.
  • The licence holder must make plant monitor available during CFIA tests (for example, correlation tests).
  • During the correlation test, the licence holder must be able to explain the sampling frequencies, random sampling methods, defect evaluations, procedure to record defects, evaluation of results and corrective actions related to offline and online reprocessing and reconditioning procedures; and
  • If process control is assessed to be unacceptable by CFIA, the licence holder must initiate immediate corrective actions. The veterinarian with supervisory authority has authority to decide if the written procedures need be amended or re-validated.

9. Defects log: offline reprocessing/reconditioning for chicken, turkey and fowl

Please see forms section.

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