Additional post-mortem inspection procedures and laboratory methods as supplements for visual meat inspection of finishing pigs in Europe—Use and variability
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In the EU, a post-mortem inspection of finishing pigs comprises visual inspections of the carcass and offal followed by additional examinations, such as palpation and incision of parts, when needed. Moreover, it can include various laboratory tests. Since European meat inspection is regulated by the EU, one may assume that post-mortem inspection is performed in the same way in the Member States. However, previous studies showed that variations exist. This article shows the results of a survey performed in September 2020 on how visual meat inspection of finishing pigs is applied in Europe. By using a questionnaire, palpations, incisions and other procedures for 10 gross pathological findings and laboratory methods applied by official veterinarians to evaluate the fitness of meat for human consumption were assessed. We received 44 responses from 26 European countries. Most respondents reported that visual meat inspection was a generally applied inspection method. The main reason for not applying visual meat inspection was export requirements. The most important reasons for applying palpations and incisions in addition to visual inspection were findings detected in ante- or post-mortem inspection. There was considerable variation in the use of palpations and incisions, other post-mortem procedures and laboratory tests to assess meat fitness for human consumption. The respondents mentioned some country-specific practices, but we also observed variations within the responding official veterinarians that could not be explained by country of origin or years of work experience. Additional detailed studies on the variation are needed before harmonisation of meat inspection procedures are attempted.
Originalsprog | Engelsk |
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Tidsskrift | Journal fur Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit |
Vol/bind | 17 |
Sider (fra-til) | 363–375 |
ISSN | 1661-5751 |
DOI | |
Status | Udgivet - 2022 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:
Open Access funding provided by University of Helsinki including Helsinki University Central Hospital. This publication is based on work from COST Action 18105 (Risk-based Meat Inspection and Integrated Meat Safety Assurance; www.ribmins.com ) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology; www.cost.eu ). The participation of Madalena Vieira-Pinto was funded by the projects UIDB/CVT/00772/2020 and LA/P/0059/2020 funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).
Funding Information:
LA and OA work for organisations that give advice to farmers and meat-producing companies. RLN’s employment is partly funded by the Finnish Food Authority. SS works for the Portuguese veterinary authorities. SG, JGL, NL, DM, PM, and MVP declare no conflict of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
ID: 319165688