1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE94/65/EC
of14December 1994
laying downthe requirements for the productionandplacing onthe market of minced meat and
meatpreparations
(OJ L 368, 31.12.1994, p. 10)
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 127, 29.4.1998, p. 34 (94/65/EC)
▼B
COUNCILDIRECTIVE94/65/EC
of14December 1994
laying down the requirements for the production and placing on
themarketofmincedmeatandmeatpreparations
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, andin particular Article 43 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(
1),
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament(2),
Having regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee(3),
Whereas minced meat and meat preparations are included in the list of
products in Annex II to the Treaty; whereas the production of and tradein minced meat and meat preparations constitute an important source ofincome for part of the farming population;
Whereas in order to ensure the rational development of the industry
producing suchmeat and to increase productivity, public h ealthrulesfor the production and placing on the market of such meat must belaid down at Community level;
Whereas the laying down of such rules improves the protection of
public health and consequently facilitates the completion of the internal
market;
Whereas, to achieve this purpose, it is necessary to repeal Council
Directive 88/657/EEC of 14 December 1988 laying down the require-
ments for the production of, and trade in, minced meat, meat in piecesof less than 100 grams and meat preparations and amending Directives64/433/EEC, 71/118/EEC and 72/462/EEC(
4), and to replace it by this
Directive;
Whereas meat which has not undergone any treatment — other than
cold treatment — is subject to the requirements of Directives 64/433/
EEC(5) and 71/118/EEC(6); whereas products which have undergone
treatment modifying the characteristics of fresh meat are regulated byDirective 77/99/EEC(
7); whereas the production of other products,
whether they are presented in the form of minced meat or meatpreparations, should as a result be subject to the requirements of thisDirective;
Whereas to take account of consumption habits in some Member
States, and of the risk presented by some of those products if they are
eaten lightly cooked, very strict requirements should be maintained
►
C1for minced meat and meat preparations which may be traded; ◄
Whereas the fundamental criterion which the Community must adopt
as regards the functioning of the internal market is that of a high stan-dard of consumer protection;
Whereas Council Directive 79/112/EEC of 18 December 1978 on the
approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the label-ling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs(
8) and Council
Directive 89/396/EEC of 14 June 1989 on indications or marks identi-fying the lot to which a foodstuff belongs(
9) are applicable;1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 84, 2. 4. 1990, p. 120 and OJ No C 288, 6. 11. 1991, p. 3.
(2) OJ No C 183, 15. 7. 1991, p. 59.
(3) OJ No C 225, 10. 9. 1990, p. 1.
(4) OJ No L 382, 31. 12. 1988, p. 3.
(5) OJ No L 121, 29. 7. 1964, p. 2012/64.
(6) OJ No L 55, 8. 3. 1971, p. 23.
(7) OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 85.
(8) OJ No L 33, 8. 2. 1979, p. 1.
(9) OJ No L 186, 30. 6. 1989, p. 21.
▼B
Whereas a system of approval should be introduced for the establish-
ments which meet the health requirements laid down by thisDirective, together with a Community inspection procedure to ensure
that the conditions for such approval are observed;
Whereas that system should be based on the principle of self-moni-
toring by the establishments;
Whereas health marking of meat products is the best way of satisfying
the competent authority of the place of destination that a consignmentcomplies with the provisions of this Directive; whereas the health certi-ficate should be maintained for the purposes of verifying the
destination of certain products;
Whereas the rules, principles and safeguard measures established by
Council Directive 90/675/EEC of 10 December 1990 laying down theprinciples governing the organization of veterinary checks on products
entering the Community from third countries(
1) should apply here;
Whereas, in the context of intra-Community trade, the rules laid down
in Directive 89/662/EEC(2) should also be applied;
Whereas the rules applicable to imports from third countries should be
defined;
Whereas the Commission should be entrusted with the task of adopting
certain measures for implementing this Directive; whereas, to that end,
procedures should be laid down establishing close and effective coop-eration between the Commission and the Member States within theStanding Veterinary Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
CHAPTER I
Article 1
1. This Directive lays down rules for the production, placing on the
market in the Union and importing of meat preparations and mincedmeat.
2. This Directive shall not apply to meat preparations and minced
meat which are produced in retail shops or in premises adjacent tosales points, with a view to sale there directly to the final consumer,such operations remaining subject to the health checks required by
national rules governing supervision of the retail trade.
3. This Directive shall not apply to mechanically recovered meat for
industrial use which undergoes heat treatment in establishmentsapproved in accordance withDirective 77/99/EEC.
4. National rules applicable to the production and placing on the
market of minced meat intended for use as raw material for the manu-facture of the products referred to in Article 21 (a) shall be unaffectedby this Directive.
Article 2
For the purposes of this Directive:
1. the definitions contained in Article 2 of Directives 64/433/EEC, 71/
118/EEC and 72/462/EEC(
3) shall apply as necessary;
2. the following definitions shall apply;
(a) minced meat: meat which has been minced into fragments or
passed through a spiral-screw mincer;1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 3
(1) OJ No L 373, 31. 12. 1990, p. 1.
(2) OJ No L 395, 30. 12. 1989, p. 13.
(3) OJ No L 302, 31. 12. 1972, p. 28.
▼B
(b) meat preparations: meat within the meaning of Article 2 of
Directives 64/433/EEC, 71/118/EEC and 92/45/EEC(1), and
meat satisfying the requirements of Articles 3, 6 and 8 of Direc-
tive 91/495/EEC(2) which has had foodstuffs, seasonings or
additives added to it or which has undergone a treatment insuffi-cient to modify the internal cellular structure of the meat andthus to cause the characteristics of the fresh meat to disappear;
(c) seasonings: salt intended for human consumption, mustard,
spices and aromatic spice extracts, aromatic herbs and aromaticextracts thereof;
(d) production plant: any plant in which minced meat or meat
preparations are produced:
— which is located in a cutting plant and satisfies the require-
ments of Chapter I of Annex I to this Directive,
— which in the case of the production of meat preparations, is
located in an establishment fulfilling the requirements ofChapter III of Annex I to this Directive,
— which, if it is not located on the premises of, or in an annex
to, an establishment approved under Directives 64/433/EEC,
71/118/EEC or 77/99/EEC, fulfils the requirements of point2 of Chapter I or point 2 of Chapter III of Annex I to thisDirective;
(e) trade: trade between Member States within the meaning of
Article 9 (2) of the Treaty;
(f) competent authority: the central authority of a Member State
competent to carry out veterinary checks or any authority towhich it has delegated that power.
CHAPTER II
Placingonthemarketofmincedmeat
Article 3
1. Each Member State shall ensure that only fresh meat obtained
from bovine animals, pigs, sheep or goats and presented in the form
of minced meat, which meets the following requirements is traded:
(a) it must have been prepared from striated muscle(a) — except heart
muscle — which meets the requirements of:
(i) Article 3 of Directive 64/433/EEC; or
(ii) Directive 72/462/EEC;
and has been inspected in accordance with Directive 90/675/EEC.
In the case of fresh pigmeat, it must furthermore have been exam-
ined for trichinae in accordance with Article 2 of Directive 77/96/EEC(
3) or have undergone cold treatment as referred to in Annex
IV to that Directive;
(b) it must have been prepared, in accordance with the requirements of
Chapter II of Annex I in a plant which:
(i) meets the requirements of points 1, 2 and 3 of Chapter I of
Annex I, and
(ii) has been approved and is included on the list(s) drawn up in
accordance withArticle 8 (1);
(c) it must have been inspected in accordance with Chapter V of
Annex I and withArticle 8;
d) it must be marked and labelled in accordance withCh apter VI of
Annex I;1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 4
(1) OJ No L 268, 14. 9. 1992, p. 35.
(2) OJ No L 268, 24. 9. 1991, p. 41.
(a) Including the adjoining fatty tissues.
(3) OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 67.
▼B
(e) it must have been wrapped, packaged and stored in accordance
with the respective provisions of Chapters VII and VIII of Annex I;
(f) it must be transported in accordance withCh apter IX of Annex I;(g) it must, during transport, be accompanied by:
(i) an accompanying commercial document which must:
— be drawn up by the dispatching establishment,
— bear the veterinary approval number of the approved
production plant and in the case of frozen minced meat,the month and year of freezing in clear,
— for minced meat intended for Finland and Sweden, bear one
of the indications provided for in the third indent ►
C1of
Part IV of Annex IV to Directive 64/433/EEC, ◄
— be kept by the consignee so that it can be produced at the
request of the competent authority. Computer data must beprinted out at the request of the aforesaid authority.
However, at the request of the competent authority in the
Member State of destination, ►
C1a health certificate must
be provided ◄when meat is intended for export to a third
country after mincing. The cost of such certification shall beborne by the operators:
(ii) a health certificate ►
C1in accordance withAnnex III, ◄in
the case of minced meat from a production plant situated in arestricted region or area or minced meat to be sent to anotherMember State, after transit through a third country in a sealedlorry.
2. Minced meat must meet the following requirements in addition to
those listed in paragraph 1:
(a) the fresh meat from which it is obtained must:
(i) where it has been frozen or deep-frozen, be obtained from fresh
boned meat which has been stored for no longer than 18months for beef and veal, 12 months for sheepmeat and six
months for pigmeat, after freezing or deep-freezing, in a cold
store approved in accordance withArticle 10 of Directive 64/433/EEC. However, the competent authority may authorize theboning of pigmeat and sheepmeat on the spot immediatelybefore mincing where this operation is carried out in satisfac-
tory conditions of hygiene and quality;
(ii) where it has been chilled, be used:
— within no more than six days after slaughter of the animals,
or
— within no more than 15 days after slaughter of the animals
in the case of boned, vacuum-packed beef and veal;
(b) the minced meat must have undergone cold treatment within a
period of not more than one hour after portioning and wrapping,except where processes requiring the lowering of the internal
temperature of the meat during production are used;
(c) the minced meat must be packaged and presented in one of the
following forms:
(i) chilled and in this case obtained from meat as described in (a)
(ii) and cooled to an internal temperature below + 2ºC in theshortest time possible.
However, the addition of a limited quantity of frozen meat
satisfying the conditions laid down in (a) (i) shall be authorizedto accelerate the refrigeration process provided that this addi-tion is mentioned on the label. In such cases, the periodreferred to above must not exceed one hour;1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 5
▼B
§ (ii)deep-frozen, and in this case obtained from meat as described
in (a) and cooled to an internal temperature below − 18ºC asquickly as possible, in accordance withArticle 1 (2) of Direc-
tive 89/108/EEC(
a);
(d) the minced meat must not have been subjected to ionizing radiation
or ultraviolet treatment;
(e) the designations in Section 1 of Annex II, possibly combined with
the name of the species of animal from which the meat wasobtained, may be used on packages only if the requirements setout in Section 1 of Annex II are met for those designations.
3. Minced meat to which not more than 1 % salt has been added
shall be subject to the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2.
Article 4
1. In order to take account of particular habits of consumption and
while ensuring that the health requirements of this Directive are
observed, Member States may authorize the production and placing on
the market of minced meat to be sold in their territory only obtained:
a) from meat ►
C1referred to in Article 2(2)(b); ◄
b) from production plants which are approved or registered and have
the premises referred to in Annex I;
c) by derogation from
i) point 4 of Chapter VI of Annex I;
ii) Article 3 (1) (f) and (g) and Article 3 (2), except for the first,
second and third indents of Annex II, point 1;
2. Minced meat obtained in accordance withth is Article must not
bear the health mark provided for in Chapter VI of Annex I.
3. A Member State which wishes to make use of the provisions of
paragraph 1 shall notify the Commission of the nature of the deroga-tions it intends to grant.
Should the Commission, after consulting the Member State concerned,
consider that the derogations fail to guarantee the health standardprovided for by the Directive, appropriate steps shall be taken in accor-dance withth e procedure laid down in Article 20.
Otherwise, the Commission shall inform the other Member States of
the measures notified to it.
CHAPTER III
Placing onthemarketofmeatpreparations
Article 5
1. Meat preparations within the meaning of Article 2 (2) (b) may be
traded only if:
(a) they have been prepared from fresh meat, other than meat from
solipeds, which:
(i) complies withArticle 3 of th e Directives referred to in Article
2 (2) (b);
(ii) in the case of imported meat, complies with Directive 72/462/
EEC or Chapter III of Directives 71/118/EEC and 92/45/EECand the requirements laid down in Articles 3, 6 and 8 of Direc-tive 91/495/EEC, or Chapter 11 of Annex I to Directive 92/
118/EEC(
1) and be inspected in accordance withDirective 90/
675/EEC. In the case of fresh meat from pigs, it must havebeen examined for trichinae in accordance with Article 2 of1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 6
(a) OJ No L 40, 11. 2. 1989, p. 34.
(1) OJ No L 62, 15. 3. 1993, p. 46.
▼B
Directive 77/96/EEC or have undergone cold treatment in
accordance withAnnex IV to th at Directive;
(b) they have been prepared in one of the establishments referred to in
Article 2 (2) (d) which:
(i) meets the requirements of Chapter III of Annex I; and
(ii) has been approved and is included on the list(s) drawn up in
accordance withArticle 8 (1).
(c) they have been obtained from meat which, if it has been deep-
frozen, must be used within a maximum period after slaughter of18 months for beef and veal, 12 months for sheepmeat and goat-meat, poultrymeat, rabbit meat and farmed game meat and sixmonths for meat from other species;
However, the competent authority may authorize boning of pigmeat
and sheepmeat on the spot immediately before preparation,
provided this operation is carried out in satisfactory conditions of
hygiene and quality.
(d) they have been packaged and where they are to be placed on the
market:
(i) chilled, they must be cooled as quickly as possible to an
internal temperature below + 2ºC for meat preparationsobtained from minced meat, + 7ºC for preparations obtainedfrom freshmeat, + 4ºC for preparations of poultry meat and+ 3ºC for preparations containing offal;
►
C1(ii) deep-frozen ◄, they must be cooled to an internal
temperature below − 18ºC as quickly as possible, in accordancewithArticle 1 (2) of Directive 89/108/EEC.
2. Meat preparations must fulfil the following requirements in addi-
tion to those laid down in paragraph 1:
(a) they must have been prepared in accordance with Chapter IV of
Annex I;
(b) they must have been inspected in accordance with Article 8 and
Chapter V of Annex I;
(c) they must be marked and labelled in accordance with Chapter VI of
Annex I;
(d) they must be wrapped and packaged in accordance with the
requirements of Chapter VII of Annex I and stored in accordance
withCh apter VIII of Annex I;
(e) they must be transported in accordance with Chapter IX of Annex
I;
(f) they must during transport be accompanied by a health certificate
in accordance with Annex V, which must be kept by the consigneefor a period of not less than one year for presentation on request tothe competent authority.
3. Withth e exception of freshsausages and sausage meat, meat
preparations obtained from minced meat of slaughter animals may betraded only if they fulfil the requirements of Article 3.
4. Pending the possible introduction of Community rules on ioniza-
tion, meat preparations must not have been subjected to ionizingradiation. This provision shall not affect national rules applicable toionization for medical purposes.
5. Member States may, for the purpose of their approval, grant
manufacturing plants manufacturing meat preparations without anindustrial structure or production capacity derogations from the require-ments of Chapter I of Annex I to this Directive and from those ofChapter I of Annex B to Directive 77/99/EEC and of Chapter I (2) (a)
(as regards taps) and point 11 (as regards lockers) of ►
C1Annex I to
Directive 64/433/EEC. ◄
Moreover, derogations may be granted from point 7 of Chapter I of
Annex B to Directive 77/99/EEC as regards rooms where raw materials1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 7
▼B
and finished products are stored. However, in this case, the establish-
ment must have at least:
(i) a room or secure place for the storage of raw materials, if such
storage takes place;
(ii) a refrigerated room or secure place for the storage of finished
products, if suchstorage takes place.
Article 6
1. In order to take account of particular habits of consumption and
while ensuring that the health requirements of this Directive are
observed, Member States may authorize the production and►
C1placing on the market of meat preparations to be sold ◄in their
territory only obtained:
(a) from meat ►C1referred to in Article 2(2)(b); ◄
(b) from production plants which are approved or registered and have
the premises ►C1referred to in Chapter III of Annex I; ◄
(c) by derogation from:
— points (b) and (d) of Chapter IV of Annex I,
— Article 5 (1) (c) and (d),
— point 4 of Chapter VI of Annex I,— Article 5 (2) (e) and (f) and Article 5 (3).
2. Meat preparations obtained in accordance withparagraph1 must
not bear the health mark provided for in Chapter VI of Annex I.
3. A Member State which wishes to make use of the provisions of
paragraph 1 shall notify the Commission of the nature of the deroga-tions it intends to grant.
Should the Commission, after consulting the Member State concerned,
consider that the derogations fail to guarantee the health standardprovided for by the Directive, appropriate steps shall be taken in accor-
dance withth e procedure laid down in Article 20.
Otherwise, the Commission shall inform the other Member States of
the measures notified to it.
CHAPTER IV
Commonprovisions
Article 7
1. Member States shall ensure that the operator or manager of the
production plant takes all necessary measure to ensure that, at all stages
of production, the provisions of this Directive are complied with.
To that end, the said persons must comply with the requirements of
Articles 3 and 6 of Directive 93/43/EEC(1) and, in addition, constantly
carry out their own checks in compliance with the following principles:
— checking raw materials entering the establishment to ensure compli-
ance with the criteria in Annexes II and IV in respect of the finalproduct,
— checking cleaning and disinfection methods,
— taking samples for analysis in a laboratory recognized by the
competent authority,
— keeping written or recorded track of the information required in
accordance withth e preceding indent witha view to submitting it
to the competent authority. The results of the different checks andtests shall in particular be kept for a period of at least two years,save in the case of chilled products for which this period may bereduced to six months after the use-by date of the product,1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 8
(1) OJ No L 175, 19. 7. 1993, p. 2.
▼B
— providing guarantees for the competent authority as regards the
administration of the health marking, particularly the labels bearingthe health mark,
— when the laboratory examination or any other information at their
disposal reveals that there is a health risk, informing the competentauthority thereof,
— in the event of an immediate human health risk, withdrawing from
the market the quantity of products obtained in technologicallysimilar conditions and likely to present the same risk. This with-drawn quantity must stay under the supervision and control of thecompetent authority until it is destroyed, used for purposes other
than human consumption or, after authorization by the competent
authority, reprocessed in an appropriate manner to ensure its safety.
2. For inspection purposes, the operator or manager of the establish-
ment must ensure that the packaging of the products bears a clear andlegible indication of the temperature at which the products must betransported and stored, as well as the use-by date for deep-frozenproducts or the minimum conservation date for chilled products.
The operator or manager of the establishment must arrange or establish
a staff training programme enabling workers to comply withconditionsof hygienic production adapted to the production structure, unless suchstaff already have adequate qualifications attested by diplomas.
The competent authority responsible for the establishment must be
involved in the planning and implementation of the programme.
3. Microbiological tests must be carried out on minced meat as
referred to in Article 3 and minced-meat preparations as referred to inArticle 5 on a daily basis and at least weekly on other minced meat and
meat preparations. These tests must be carried out either in the produc-
tion plant, if it is recognized by the competent authority, or in anapproved laboratory.
The sample taken for analysis must comprise five units and be repre-
sentative of daily production. Samples of meat preparations must betaken from deep in the muscle after the skin has been cauterized.
The microbiological checks must be carried out in accordance with
proven methods which are scientifically recognized, in particular thoselaid down in Community directives or other international standards.
The results of the microbiological checks must be assessed using the
criteria for interpretation laid down in Annex II in the case of mincedmeat and meat preparations obtained from minced meat of slaughteranimals, except for freshsausages and sausage meat, in accordancewith the criteria in Annex IV in the case of other meat preparations.
In the event of disputes arising in trade, Member States shall recognize
the EN methods as reference methods.
4. The requirements as regards self-monitoring must have been
drawn up in conjunction with the competent authority, which mustregularly monitor compliance therewith.
5. The arrangements for implementing this Article, in particular in
cases where paragraph 1 applies, shall be detailed in accordance withthe procedure laid down in Article 20.
Article 8
1. Each Member State shall draw up a list of establishments produ-
cing minced meat or meat preparations, making a distinction betweenthose approved under Articles 3 and 5 and those registered under Arti-cles 4 and 6. It shall send a list of the production plants approved underArticles 3 and 5 to the other Member States and to the Commission.
It shall assign to each production plant the approval number of the
establishment approved in accordance with Directives 64/433/EEC,71/118/EEC, 77/99/EEC, 91/495/EEC or 92/45/EEC withan indicationthat it has been approved for the production of minced meat or meat1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 9
▼B
preparations, and to eachindependent production unit an individual
approval number.
A single approval number ma be given to:
(i) an establishment making preparations obtained from or with raw
materials covered by more than one of the Directives referred to
in the following subparagraph:
(ii) an establishment located on the same site as an establishment
approved in accordance withArticle 2 of one of th e above Direc-tives.
Production plants thus approved shall be entered either for the produc-
tion of minced meat or for that of meat preparations in a separatecolumn in the list of establishments referred to in Article 10 of Direc-tive 64/433/EEC, Article 6 of Directive 71/118/EEC, Article 8 ofDirective 77/99/EEC or that referred to in Article 7 of Directive 92/
45/EEC and, in the case of an independent production unit, on a sepa-
rate list drawn up according to the same criteria.
The competent authority shall not approve an establishment unless it is
satisfied that it complies with this Directive with respect to the natureof its activities. However, if an establishment seeking approval
pursuant to this Directive forms an integral part of an establishment
approved under Directives 64/433/EEC, 71/118/EEC, 79/99/EEC or92/45/EEC, the premises, equipment and installations for staff and,generally, all premises where there is no risk of contamination of rawmaterials or unwrapped products may be common to bothestablish -ments.
2. Production plants must remain under the control of the competent
authority, which shall inspect and monitor them with the followingfrequency:
— for production plants attached to cutting plants: same frequency as
for the said cutting plants,
— for approved production plants producing the products referred to in
Article 3: at least once a day during the production of minced meat,
— for other production plants: the need for permanent or periodic
presence of the competent authority in a given establishment willdepend on the size of the establishment, the type of product manu-factured, risk assessment and the guarantees offered in accordancewithth e second subparagraphof Article 7 (1).
The competent authority must at all times have free access to all parts
of establishments in order to ensure that this Directive is beingcomplied with and, where there is doubt as to the origin of meat, toaccounting documents which enable the slaughterhouse or establish-ment of origin of the raw material to be traced and, as regards
compliance with the criteria laid down in Annexed II and IV, to the
results of the self-monitoring provided for in Article 7, including theresult of checks on raw materials. In the case of computer data, theymust be printed out at the request of the competent authority.
The competent authority must regularly analyse the results of the
checks provided for in Article 7. It may, on the basis of these analyses,
conduct further examinations at all stages of production or on theproducts.
The nature of these checks, their frequency and the methods of
sampling and of carrying out microbiological examinations shall be
established under the procedure laid down in Article 20.
The results of these analyses shall be set out in a report, the conclu-
sions or recommendations of which shall be notified to the operator ormanager of the establishment, who shall be obliged to rectify the short-
comings noted witha view to improving h ygiene.
The competent authority may, when carrying out the said checks, be
helped by assistants who hold the professional qualifications specifiedin Annex III to Directive 64/433/EEC or in Annex III to Directive 71/118/EEC.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 10
▼B
3. Where the competent authority finds, in the course of checks
carried out in accordance with Chapter V of Annex I, that there isrepeated non-compliance during self-monitoring withth e criteria laid
down in Annexes II and IV, it shall intensify the measures for moni-
toring the production of the establishment in question, and may seizethe labels and other items bearing the health mark referred to inChapter VI of Annex I.
If, after the expiry of 15 days, the output from production plants still
fails to meet the above standards, the competent authority shall take
all appropriate measures to make good the shortcomings noted and
shall if necessary require products from the establishment in questionto undergo heat treatment. If these measures are not adequate, theestablishment's approval shall be suspended.
4. Where the competent authority finds an obvious failure to comply
with the hygiene rules laid down by this Directive or obstacles to anadequate health inspection:
(i) it shall be empowered to act in respect of the use of equipment or
premises and to take any requisite measures which may go as far asreducing the rate of production or temporarily suspending theproduction process;
(ii) where these measures or the measures provided for in the final
indent of Article 7 (1) have proved insufficient to remedy the situa-
tion, it shall temporarily suspend approval, if appropriate, for the
type of production in question.
If the operator or manager of the establishment does not make good the
shortcomings noted within the period fixed by the competent authority,the latter shall withdraw approval.
The competent authority in question shall in particular be obliged to
comply with the conclusions of any check carried out in accordancewithArticle 9.
The other Member States and the Commission shall be informed of the
suspension or withdrawal of approval.
5. In the event of repeated shortcomings, checks shall be increased
and, where appropriate, labels, seals or other items bearing the healthmark shall be removed.
6. The arrangements for implementing this Article, in particular
details of help by assistants, shall be adopted in accordance with theprocedure laid down in Article 20.
Article 9
Experts from the Commission may, in so far as is necessary for the
uniform application of this Directive and in cooperation with thecompetent authorities, make on-site checks. To do this, they may
verify, by checking a representative percentage of production plants,
whether the competent authorities are, in a uniform manner, ensuringthat such plants are complying with the provisions of this Directive,and in particular withArticle 7 (self-monitoring).
These checks may be carried out when other checks are being made by
Commission experts pursuant to Community legislation.
The Commission shall inform the Member States of the results of the
checks carried out.
A Member State in whose territory a check is being carried out shall
give all the necessary assistance to the experts in carrying out theirduties.
The general provisions for applying this Article — in particular those
aimed at regulating procedures for cooperation withnational auth orities— shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down inArticle 20.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 11
▼B
Article 10
The provisions of Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989
concerning veterinary checks in intra-Community trade with a view to
the completion of the internal market shall apply, in particular withrespect to the organization of and the action to be taken on the checkscarried out by the Member State of destination and the safeguardmeasures to be applied.
Article 11
Any addition of additives to the minced meat or meat preparations
covered by this Directive shall take place in compliance with Directive94/36/EEC(
1).
Article 12
1. Without prejudice to the specific provisions of this Directive, the
competent authority shall, where it is suspected that the provisions of
this Directive have not been complied with or there is doubt as towhether the products referred to in Article 1 are fit for consumption,carry out any checks it deems appropriate.
2. Each Member State shall determine the penalties to be applied in
the event of infringement of the provisions of this Directive.
CHAPTER V
Provisions applicable to imports into the Community of meat
preparationsandmincedmeat
Article 13
I. Member States shall ensure that imports of minced meat satisfying
the requirements of Article 3 which has been deep-frozen at theproduction plant of origin ►
C1and meat preparations
satisfying ◄the requirements of Article 5 which have been deep-
frozen at the production plant of origin are not authorized unless
they meet the requirements of this chapter.
A. The guarantees provided by the production plant of origin and
confirmed by the competent authority of the third countryregarding compliance with the requirements laid down for the
placing on the market of products of Community origin obtained
in accordance withArticles 3 and 5 must be approved in accor-dance withth e procedure laid down in Article 20.
B. For the purposes of uniform application of A, the provisions of
the following paragraphs shall apply.
1. In order to be imported into the Community, deep-frozen
minced meat as referred to in Article 3 and deep-frozen
meat preparations as referred to in Article 5 must:
(a) come from third countries or parts of third countries from
which imports are not prohibited on animal healthgrounds in accordance withDirective 91/494/EEC(
2), 92/
118/EEC, 72/462/EEC and 92/45/EEC;
(b) come from a third country on the lists drawn up in accor-
dance with the Directives governing health and animalhealth aspects to be complied with for imports of meat
used in meat preparations and offering the guarantees
provided for in this Directive;
(c) be accompanied by the animal and public health certifi-
cate which is to be drawn up in accordance with the
procedure laid down in Article 20 supplemented by adeclaration signed by the official veterinarian to the effect1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 12
(1) OJ No L 22, 27. 1. 1994, p. 43.
(2) OJ No L 268, 24. 9. 1991, p. 35.
▼B
that this minced meat ►C1and these meat
preparations ◄fulfil respectively the requirements laid
down in Articles 3 and 5, come from establishments
offering the guarantees provided for in Annex I, and
have been deep-frozen at the production plant of origin.
2. The following shall be established in accordance with the
procedure laid down in Article 20:
(a) a Community list of establishments which satisfy the
requirements in (b). Pending the compilation of that list,
Member States are authorized to maintain the controls
provided for in Article 11 (2) of Directive 90/675/EECand the national health certificate required for establish-ments which have been the subject of national approval;
(b) the specific conditions relating to the requirements of this
Directive, other than those enabling meat to be excludedfrom human consumption in accordance with Directive64/433/EEC and 71/118/EEC. Suchconditions and guar-
antees may not be less stringent than those laid down in
Articles 3 and 5.
Pending the decisions referred to in (a) and (b), imports from
establishments approved under Directive 72/462/EEC withrespect to which the competent authorities are able to guar-antee that the requirements of this Directive are compliedwith, may be authorized as from the date laid down in Article
22.
3. Experts from the Commission shall, in cooperation with the
competent authorities of the Member States, carry out on-
the-spot inspections to check:
(a) the guarantees given by the third country regarding the
conditions of production and placing on the market;
(b) whether the conditions of paragraphs 1 and 2 are fulfilled.The experts from the Member States responsible for these
inspections shall be appointed by the Commission, acting ona proposal from the Member States.
These inspections shall be made on behalf of the Community,
which shall bear the cost of any expenditure in this connec-tion. The frequency of and procedure for these inspections
shall be determined in accordance with the procedure laid
down in Article 20.
4. Pending the organization of the inspections referred to in
paragraph3, national rules applicable to inspection in th irdcountries shall continue to apply, subject to notificationthrough the Standing Veterinary Committee of any failure tocomply with hygiene rules found during these inspections.
II. Under the procedure laid down in Article 19, derogations may be
made from the requirements of this Article.
Article 14
The lists provided for in Article 13 (I) (B) (2) may include only third
countries or parts of third countries:
(a) from which imports are not prohibited pursuant to Articles 9 to 12
of Directive 91/494/EEC and Articles 14, 17 and 20 of Directive72/462/EEC;
(b) which, in view of their legislation and the organization of their
veterinary services and of their inspection services, the powers ofsuch services and the supervision to which they are subject, have
been recognized, in accordance withArticle 3 (2) of Directive 72/
462(EEC) of Article 9 (2) of Directive 91/494/EEC, as capable ofguaranteeing and supervising the implementation of their legisla-tion in force, or the veterinary services of which are able toguarantee that health requirements at least equivalent to those laiddown in Articles 3 and 5 are being complied with.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 13
▼B
Article 15
1. Member States shall ensure that deep-frozen minced meat as
referred to in Article 3 and deep-frozen meat preparations as referred
to in Article 5 are imported into the Community only if they:
— are accompanied by the certificate provided for in Article 13 (1)
(B) (1) (c),
— have satisfied the checks required by Directive 90/675/EEC.
2. Pending the establishment of detailed rules for implementing this
chapter:
— the import of minced meat remains prohibited,
— the national rules applicable to imports of meat preparations from
third countries for which such requirements have not been adopted
at Community level shall continue to apply, provided that they arenot more favourable than those laid down in Article 5,
— imports must take place under the conditions laid down in Article
11 of Directive 90/675/EEC.
Article 16
The principles and rules laid down in Directive 90/675/EEC shall
apply, withparticular reference to th e organization of and follow-upto the inspections to be carried out by the Member States and the safe-guard measures to be implemented.
Pending implementation of the decisions provided for in Article 8 (3)
of Directive 90/675/EEC, imports must take place in accordance withArticle 11 (2) that Directive.
CHAPTER VI
Finalprovisions
Article 17
►C11. The following paragraph 5 shall be added to Article 5 of
Directive 71/118/EEC:
‘5. Member States ◄shall ensure that mechanically recovered
meat may be traded only if it has previously undergone heat treat-
ment in accordance with Directive 77/99/EEC in the establishment
of origin or any other establishment designated by the competentauthority.’
2. The following paragraph 4 shall be added to Article 6 of Direc-
tive 91/495/EEC:
‘4. Member States shall ensure that mechanically recovered
meat may be traded only if it has previously undergone heat treat-
ment in accordance with Directive 77/99/EEC in the establishment
of origin or any other establishment designated by the competentauthority.’
Article 18
1. The provisions of the Annexes shall not apply to production
plants situated on certain islands of the Hellenic Republic or in certainFrench Overseas Departments and territories where the production ofsuchestablish ments remains exclusively reserved for local consump-
tion.
2. The arrangements for applying paragraph 1 shall be adopted in
accordance withth e procedure provided for in Article 20.
Under the same procedure it may be decided to amend paragraph 1
witha view to th e progressive extension of Community standards toall production plants situated in the abovementioned islands and partsof territories.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 14
▼B
Article 19
The Annexes shall be amended by the Council acting by a qualified
majority on a proposal from the Commission, in particular to adaptthem to technological and scientific progress.
Article 20
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is to be followed,
matters shall be referred without delay to the Standing Veterinary
Committee (hereinafter referred to as
‘the Committee’) set up by Decision 68/361/EEC(
1) by its
chairman, either on his own initiative or at the request of a Member
State.
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit to the
Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The Committee shall
deliver its opinion on the draft within the time limit which the
chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. Theopinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is requiredto adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the repre-
sentatives of the Member States within the Committee shall be
weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The chairman shall notvote.
3. (a) The Commission shall adopt the measures envisaged if they are
in accordance with the opinion of the Committee.
(b) If the measures envisaged are not in accordance with the opinion
of the Committee, or if no opinion is delivered, the Commissionshall, without delay, submit to the Council a proposal relating tothe measures to be taken. The Council shall act by a qualifiedmajority.
If, within three months from the date of referral to the Council,
the Council has not acted, the Commission shall adopt theproposed measures save where the Council has rejected thesaid measures by a simple majority.
Article 21
The Council, acting by a qualified majority on a proposal from the
Commission, shall before 1 January 1996 lay down the health rules
applicable to:
(a) the production and placing on the market of sausage meat intended
for the subsequent production of a meat-based product;
(b) the production and use of mechanically recovered meat.
Article 22
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and admin-
istrative provisions necessary to comply withth is Directive before 1January 1996. They shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.
When Member States adopt these measures, they shall contain a refer-
ence to this Directive or shall be accompanied by such reference on theoccasion of their official publication. The methods of making suchreference shall be laid down by Member States.
The Member States shall communicate to the Commission the main
provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered bythis Directive.
Article 23
Directive 88/657/EEC shall be repealed with effect from 1 January
1996.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 15
(1) OJ No L 255, 18. 10. 1968, p. 23.
▼B
Article 24
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 16
▼B
ANNEX I
CHAPTER I
Special conditions for the approval of establishments producing minced
meat
1. Producion plants within the meaning of Article 2 (2) (d).
Over and above compliance with the conditions laid down in Annex I, Chap-
ters I and III, to Directive 64/433/EC, production plants must have at least:
(a) a room for mincing and wrapping separate from the cutting room and
equipped with a recording thermometer or recording telethermometer.
However, the competent authority may authorize the mincing of meat in
the cutting room provided that the mincing is carried out in specific area
that is clearly separate;
(b) a room for packaging, unless the conditions laid down in point 63 of
Chapter XII of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC are fulfilled;
(c) a room or cabinets for storing salt;
(d) refrigeration equipment enabling the temperatures laid down in this
Directive to be adhered to.
2. Over and above the general conditions laid down in Chapter I of Annex A to
Directive 77/99/EEC, independent production units must have at least:
(a) rooms in accordance withpoint 1 of Ch apter I of Annex B to Directive
77/99/EEC; and
(b) rooms as described in point 1.a of this chapter.
3. The rules laid down in Chapter V of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC shall
apply as regards the hygiene of the staff, premises and equipment in the
establishments.
Staff engaged in the manual preparation of minced meat must in addition
wear masks covering the mouth and nose. The competent authority may
also oblige staff to wear smooth, moisture-proof gloves, either for once-only
use or capable of being cleaned and disinfected.
CHAPTER II
Conditionsfortheproductionofmincedmeat
1. Meat must be examined before mincing or cutting up, in accordance with
Article 7. All soiled and suspect parts shall be removed and condemned
before the meat is minced.
2. Minced meat may not be obtained from scrap cuttings, scrap trimmings or
from mechanically recovered meat.
In particular, it may not be prepared from the meat referred to in Article 5 of
Directive 64/433/EEC or from meat from the following parts of bovine
animals, pigs, sheep or goats: muscles from the head, with the exception of
the masseters, and the non-muscular part of the linea alba, the carpus and
tarsus region and bone scrapings. The muscles of the diaphragm — after
removal of serosa — and of the masseters may be used only after an investi-
gation for cysticercosis has been carried out. The fresh meat must not contain
any bone fragments.
Where the operations carried out from the time when the meat enters the
room referred to in Chapter I to the time when the finished product under-
goes the chilling or deep-freezing process are performed within a maximum
period of one hour, the internal temperature of the meat must be no higher
than +7 ºC and the temperature of the production premises must be no higher
than +12 ºC. The competent authority may authorize a longer time limit in
individual cases where the addition of salt justifies this on technical grounds,
provided that health rules are not affected by that derogation.
Where the duration of these operations is over one hour or over the period
authorized by the competent authority in accordance with the preceding
subparagraph, the fresh meat may not be used until the internal temperature
of the meat has been reduced to a maximum of +4 ºC.
3. Minced meat may be deep-frozen only once.4. Immediately after production the minced meat must be hygienically wrapped
and, after packaging, be cooled to and stored at the temperatures laid down
in Article 3 (2) (c).1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 17
▼B
CHAPTER III
Special conditions for the approval of establishments producing meat
preparations
1. Production plants within the meaning of Article 2 (2) (d) must have premises
which at least meet the requirements of:
(a) Chapters I and III of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC; or
(b) Chapters I and III of Annex I to Directive 71/118/EEC; or
(c) Chapters I and IV, point 1, of Annex I to Directive 92/45/EEC;
as well as having:
— a room separate from the cutting room for the production of meat
preparations, the addition of other foodstuffs and wrapping, equipped
with a recording thermometer or recording telethermometer.
However, the competent authority may authorize the production of meat
preparations in the cutting room provided that the production is carried
out on a specific area that is clearly separate. The addition of seasonings
to whole poultry carcasses may be authorized in a specific room that is
clearly separate from the slaughter premises,
— a room for packaging, unless the conditions laid down in point 63 of
Chapter XII of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC or point 74 of Chapter
XIV of Annex I to Directive 71/118/EEC or point 5 of Chapter VIII of
Annex I to Directive 92/45/EEC are fulfilled,
— a room for storing seasonings and other cleaned foodstuffs ready for use,— refrigerated rooms for the storage of:
— freshmeat as referred to in Article 5 (1) (a),
— meat preparations,
— refrigeration equipment enabling the temperatures laid down in this
Directive to be adhered to.
2. Independent production units must meet the requirements of Chapter I of
Annex A and Chapter I of Annex B to Directive 77/99/EEC.
3. The rules laid down in Chapter V of Annex I to Directives 64/433/EEC or
71/118/EEC or those of Chapter II of Directive 92/45/EEC shall apply by
analogy as regards the hygiene of the staff, premises and equipment in the
establishments.
Staff engaged in the manual production of meat preparations must also wear
masks covering their noses and mouths. The competent authority may also
require such staff to wear smooth, moisture-proof gloves, either or once-
only use or capable of being cleaned and disinfected.
CHAPTER IV
Specialrequirementsfortheproductionofmeatpreparations
Over and above compliance with the general requirements of Chapter III, and
depending on the type of production concerned:
(a) the production of meat preparations must take place under conditions of
temperature control;
(b) meat preparations must be wrapped in dispatchunits in sucha way as to
obviate any risk of contamination;
(c) meat preparations may be deep-frozen only once and may be traded only
within a period not exceeding 18 months;
(d) meat preparations must, immediately after the production process, be
wrapped in accordance withCh apter VII and, after packaging, be cooled to
the relevant temperature laid down in Article 5 (1) (d).
CHAPTER V
Inspection
1. Production plants which produce minced meat and meat preparations shall be
subject to monitoring by the competent authority, which must ensure that the
requirements of this Directive are met and in particular must:
(a) check:
(i) the cleanliness of the premises and equipment and staff hygiene;
(ii) the efficacy of the checks carried out by the establishment, in accor-
dance with Article of this Directive, in particular by examining the
results and taking samples;1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 18
▼B
(iii) the microbiological and hygienic condition of the minced meat and
the meat preparations;
(iv) the appropriate health marking of the minced meat and the meat
preparations;
(v) storage and transport conditions;
(b) within the framework of the official checks, take any samples required
for laboratory tests to confirm the results of the self-monitoring;
(c) make any other checks it considers necessary to ensure compliance with
this Directive, it being understood that the results of the microbiological
tests must be evaluated by the competent authority on the basis of the
criteria laid down in Annex II for minced meat and in Annex IV for
meat preparations.
2. The competent authority must have free access at all times to the cold stores
and all working premises to check that these provisions are being strictly
complied with.
CHAPTER VI
Markingandlabelling
1. Minced meat and meat preparations must be marked on the wrapping or
packaging witha h ealthmark.
2. Only minced meat obtained in accordance withArticle 3 and meat prepara-
tions obtained in accordance withArticle 5 and produced in a production
plant approved in accordance withArticle 8, may be given th e Community
health mark. That health mark must correspond:
(a) to point 50 of Chapter XI of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC for
minced meat;
(b) for meat preparations:
(i) of freshmeat of slaugh ter animals or farmed game meat, to point 50
of Chapter XI of Annex I to Directive 64/433/EEC;
(ii) of poultrymeat or small feathered or furred farmed game, to point
66 of Chapter XII of Annex I to Directive 71/118/EEC;
(iii) of killed game, to point 2 of Chapter VII of Annex I to Directive
92/45/EEC.
3. Where minced meat or meat preparations are produced in an independent
production unit, the health mark must include the approval number assigned
by the competent authority pursuant to Article 8 (1).
4. Without prejudice to Directive 79/112/EEC, in the case of meat preparations
the following information must be visibly and legibly displayed for inspec-
tion purposes on the packaging, where it is not clear from the sales
description or from the list of ingredients in accordance with Directive 79/
112/EEC: the species from which the meat was obtained and, in the case of
a mixture, the percentage of each species and, for packaging not intended for
the final consumer, the date of preparation.
In the case of minced meat and meat preparations made from minced meat
except for fresh sausages and sausage meat bearing the healthmark provided
for in this chapter, the labelling must also display the following words:
— ‘percentage of fat under …’,
— ‘Collagen: meat protein ratio under …’.
CHAPTER VII
Wrappingandpackaging
1. Packaging (for example packing cases, paperboard boxes) must fulfil all rules
of hygiene, and in particular:
— must not alter the organoleptic characteristics of the minced meat or meat
preparations,
— must not be capable of transmitting to the minced meat or meat prepara-
tions substances harmful to human health,
— must be strong enoughto ensure effective protection of th e minced meat
or meat preparations during transport and handling.
2. Packaging must not be reused for minced meat or meat preparations unless it
is made of corrosion-resistant materials which are easy to clean and has been
previously cleaned and disinfected.
3. Wrapped minced meat or meat preparations must be packaged.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 19
▼B
4. However, when wrapping fulfils all the protective conditions of packaging it
need not be transparent and colourless and placing in a second container is
not necessary provided that the other conditions of point 1 above are
fulfilled.
CHAPTER VIII
Storage
1. Minced meat and meat preparations must be chilled immediately after wrap-
ping and/or packaging. Minced meat must be stored at the temperatures
indicated in Article 3 (2) (c) and meat preparations at the temperatures indi-
cated in Article 5 (1) (d).
2. Minced meat and meat preparations may be deep-frozen only in rooms of the
production establishment or independent production unit or in approved cold
stores.
3. In cold stores, minced meat and meat preparations may be stored together
with other foodstuffs only if it is ensured by means of packaging that the
minced meat or meat preparations cannot be affected unfavourably.
CHAPTER IX
Transport
1. Minced meat and meat preparations must be dispatched in such a way that
during transport they are protected from anything liable to contaminate
them or to affect them unfavourably, having regard to the duration and
conditions of transport and to the means of transport employed. In particular,
vehicles used to transport minced meat and meat preparations must be
equipped in such a way as to ensure that the temperatures laid down in this
Directive are not exceeded during transport and they must be equipped with a
recording thermometer to record that the latter requirement is fulfilled.
2. Member States may, by way of derogation from paragraph 1, authorize the
transport of meat preparations originating in the establishments referred to
in Article 5 (5) at temperatures higher than those laid down in this Directive
from a production plant or independent production unit to nearby retail
premises or local communities, provided that such transportation takes not
more than one hour.
3. In the case of transit through a third country and where the production plant
is situated in an area subject to restrictions for animal health reasons, the
means of transport must remain sealed.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 20
▼B
ANNEX II
COMPOSITIONCRITERIAANDMICROBIOLOGICALCRITERIA
I.Compositioncriteria checkedonthebasisofadailyaverage
Fat contentCollagen: meat protein
ratio
— lean minced meat ≤7% ≤12
— minced pure beef ≤20 % ≤15
— minced meat containing pigmeat ≤30 % ≤18
— minced meat of other species ≤25 % ≤15
II.Microbiological criteria
Production plants and independent production units must ensure that, during
the checks provided for in Article 7 (3) and in accordance with the methods
of interpretation set out below, minced meat complies withth e following
criteria:
M(a)m (b)
Aerobic mesophile bacteria 5 × 106/g 5 × 105/g
n(c)=5 ;c(d)=2
Escherichia coli 5×1 02/g 50/g
n = 5; c = 2
Salmonella absence in 10 g
n = 5; c = 0
Staphylococcus aureus 5×1 03/g 102/g
n = 5; c = 2
(a) M = acceptability threshold, above which results are no longer considered satisfactory where M equals 10 m
where the count is made in a solid medium and M equals 30 M where the count is made in a liquid medium.
(b) m = threshold below which all results are considered satisfactory.
(c) n = number of units making up the sample.
(d) c = number of units in the sample giving values between m and M.
The results of the microbiological analyses must be interpreted according to:
A. Three categories of contamination for aerobic mesophile bacteria,
Escherichia coli andStaphylococcus aureus, viz.:
— up to and including the criterion m,
— between the criterion m and the threshold M,— above the threshold M.
1. The quality of the consignment shall be considered:
(a) satisfactory, where all the values observed are equal to or less
than 3 m where a solid medium has been used or 10 m where a
liquid medium has been used;
(b) acceptable, where all the values observed are between:
(i) 3 m and 10 m (= M) in a solid medium;
(ii) 10 m and 30 m (= M) in a liquid medium;
and where c/n is equal to or less than ⅖where n = 5 and c = 2 or
any other figures of equivalent or greater reliability to be recog-
nized by the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure
laid down in Article 19.
2. The quality of the consignment shall be considered unsatisfactory;
— in all cases where values in excess of M are observed,
— when c/n is > ⅖.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 21
▼B
However, where this latter threshold has been exceeded for aerobic
micro-organisms at + 30 ºC while all the other criteria have been
fulfilled, this exceeding of the threshold must be the subject of a
further interpretation, in particular in the case of raw products.
In any event, the product must be considered toxic or tainted when
contamination reaches the microbic limit value S, which for general
purposes is set at 103m.
In the case of Staphylococcus aureus, the value of S must never be
allowed to exceed 5 × 104.
Tolerances related to analytical techniques shall not apply to the
values M and S.
B. Two categories for salmonella, withno category tolerance permitted:
— ‘Absence in’: the result is considered satisfactory.
— ‘Presence in’: the result is considered unsatisfactory.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 22
▼B
ANNEX III
1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 23
▼B
1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 24
▼B
ANNEX IV
MICROBIOLOGICALCRITERIA
Production plants and independent production units must ensure that, during the
checks provided for in Article 7 (3) and in accordance with the methods of
interpretation specified in Annex II, meat preparations comply withth e
following criteria:
Meat preparations M (1)m (2)
Escherichia coli 5×1 03/g 5 × 102/g
n = 5; c = 2
Staphylococci aurei 5×1 03/g 5 × 102/g
n = 5; c = 1
Salmonella absence in 1 g
n = 5; c = 0
(1) M = acceptability threshold, above which results are no longer considered satisfactory where M equals 10 m
where the count is made in a solid medium and M equals 30 m where the count is made in a liquid medium.
(2) m = threshold below which all results are considered satisfactory.
The Council acting on a Commission proposal shall, before 31 December 1995,
review the criteria applicable to meat preparations as regards the absence of
salmonella.1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 25
▼B
ANNEX V
1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 26
▼B
1994L0065 — EN — 20.01.1995 — 000.001 — 27