Recent projects: Effilé poultry production
Recent projects: Effilé poultry production
Thursday, 11 September 2014
We are pleased to announce that the findings of our project for the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a qualitative risk assessment to support a policy decision on partially-eviscerated (effilé) poultry production has just been published by the FSA.
Partially eviscerated (effilé) poultry is where the heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, crop (a muscular pouch near the throat), proventriculus (part of the digestive system) and gizzard have been left inside the body cavity. Regulation (EC) 853/2004 allows production of effilé poultry, provided it is authorised by the competent authority. The UK has little experience of effilé poultry production, although trials have taken place in a few UK plants.
Together with our partners at the University of Lincoln we carried out an qualitative risk assessment of partially eviscerated (effilé) poultry. A critical review of all available relevant and appropriate literature and data was carried out, supplemented by a survey of current industrial practice and a practical evaluation of processes, to form a risk assessment of the public health implications of allowing partially-eviscerated birds into the food chain.
The main conclusion from the risk assessment was that while there are risks of zoonotic infection to the consumer associated with preparation and consumption of partially-eviscerated (effilé) poultry, these risks are generally no different to those associated with the preparation and consumption of traditionally processed poultry. Therefore, it is the our view that the production of partially-eviscerated birds in the UK, subject to the controls outlined in our report, would not result in any significantly increased risk to public health than current poultry processing.
We have recommended that future studies in this area could focus on the prevalence or concentration of pathogens in partially-eviscerated birds, the risk of cross-contamination during the combined skinning and partial-evisceration of feathered carcasses and the risk of cross-contamination during the removal of organs from partially-eviscerated poultry, whether performed by the retailer, catering establishment or consumer. Details of the project, and a link to download the complete report, can be found by clicking on the following link.
If you would like more information regarding this project, please contact us.