This document describes procedures to meet the requirements of Section 47(1) of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Raw poultry meat products must not pose a health risk to consumers. Accordingly, all licence holders are expected to have controls in place to prevent/eliminate relevant microbial pathogens or reduce them to an acceptable level allowing the manufacture of safe and suitable raw meat products.
The main objectives of the Pathogen Reduction Program in slaughter establishments are as follows:
- to reduce and/or eliminate food safety pathogens using Preventative Control Plan (PCP)
- to measure effectiveness of controls applied during evisceration process by:
- using food safety indicator pathogens; and
- using a validated standard
As part of measuring the effectiveness of the PCP programs Preventative Control Plan and/or intervention measures all licence holders of federal poultry slaughter establishments must implement pathogen reduction program. Licence holders must use a validated pathogen reduction standard for following pathogens:
- Salmonella spp.
- Campylobacter spp.
- generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) – Biotype I
The Pathogen Performance Standards Program, as written in Meat Exports requirement for United States of America can be used by licence holders to meet this requirement.
In the absence of validated pathogen performance standard for Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) – Biotype I in certain poultry species (for example ducks, geese and quails etc.), the CFIA will:
- continue to assess the licence holder's food safety risk profile; and
- work in collaboration with the industry and other federal health partners to develop acceptable domestic pathogen performance standards