mechanically tenderized beef

Enhanced meat labeling requirements and guidance to support #foodsafety

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Example of Mechanically Tenderized Beef Labeling according to the new regulations / Exemple d'étiquetage requis par le nouveau régelement

Example of Mechanically Tenderized Beef Labeling according to the new regulations / Exemple d’étiquetage requis par le nouveau réglement

Canada’s new labeling requirements for mechanically tenderized beef are in effect as of today, August 21st, 2014. Health Canada announced the coming into force today on its website.

In June 2014, Health Canada’s Food Directorate issued guidance on how these regulatory requirements are to be implemented. This guidance was previously discussed on this blog.

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These requirements are meant to create consistency in the way information is displayed on food labels, to support consumer choice and enable enhanced food safety practices such as following the relevant advice about cooking temperatures, as an additional measure to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Additional guidance was also made available by Health Canada to support consistency of labeling for raw meat and poultry . This guidance, when followed by processors and retailers, will result in labels that clearly display safe handling information useful to consumers to prevent food safety incidents and food borne illnesses.

Example of best practices to present safe handling information on ground meat labels

Example of best practices to present safe handling information on ground meat labels

 

Labelling of mechanically tenderized beef – Publication in Canada Gazette Part II and guidance document

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Health Canada published its final regulatory requirements related to mandatory labeling of mechanically tenderized beef in part II of the Canada Gazette on May 21st, 2014.

In comparison to the initial set of requirements previously described on this blog, you will note that some changes were introduced to ensure more flexibility of application of the labeling requirements where applicable, while maintaining the main objective of ensuring that consumers are duly informed when beef is mechanically tenderized through a statement on the label, in a consistent and clear fashion. These changes are the result of the consultation process and the feed-back from the stakeholder community.

Health Canada’s Food Directorate published a guidance document to support the industry sector’s readiness for the implementation of these requirements upon the coming into force of the regulations, planned for August 2014.