Food safety regulations for butchers
Information and guidance on food hygiene and labelling regulations for butchers.
If you run a butchery business, there are several rules that you must comply with.
What is 'meat'?
The definition of meat is 'skeletal muscle of mammalian and bird species recognised as fit for human consumption with naturally included or attached tissue'. The definition does not include 'mechanically separated meat'. Regulations set limits for the amount of fat and connective tissue (rind, tendon, sinew and skin) allowed.
Under current operating arrangements for Northern Ireland, food and feed products placed on the NI market will continue to follow EU rules. From Autumn 2023, the Windsor Framework will allow GB standards for public health to apply for pre-packed retail goods moved via a new NI retail movement scheme and placed on the NI market. Where relevant, these goods will still need to meet EU standards on animal and plant health.
Quantitative Ingredient Declarations (QUID declarations)
If you sell any food loose and not prepacked that contains 'European Community meat' as defined above, you must label it with a .
You do not need to give a QUID if the ingredients:
- have only been used in small quantities as flavouring
- are used in varying proportions and can be labelled as fruit, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs or spices (such as in a vegetable soup)
- already have a quantity shown on the label as a ‘drained net weight’
You also do not need a QUID for ingredients that can vary in quantity without altering the character of the food or distinguishing it from similar foods. For example, you do not need to show a QUID for flour in a flour tortilla.
You must give the meat QUID when you sell loose or pre-packed-for-direct-sale products that contain meat and other ingredients (except in a catering environment). You must display the QUID on a label on the food or display it clearly where the customer can see it when they are choosing the product.
On pre-packed food, you must give this information either:
- as a percentage in brackets in the ingredients list after the name of the ingredient, for example ‘pork (80%)’
- in or next to the name of the food, for example ‘containing 80% pork’
Food safety advice for butchers
Butchers must comply with the same food hygiene laws as other food businesses. This includes following Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.