Consultation
Guidance on the safety and shelf-life of vacuum and modified atmosphere packed chilled foods with respect to non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum – chilled fresh beef, lamb and pork
Consultation on a review of our guidance on the safety and shelf-life of vacuum and modified atmosphere packed chilled foods with respect to non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum’, in particular as regards the shelf-life of chilled fresh beef, lamb and pork.
Summary of responses
England, Northern Ireland and Wales
About this consultation
This consultation concerns a review of best practice guidance on the safety and shelf-life of vacuum packed (VP) and modified atmosphere packed (MAP) chilled foods with respect to non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. The consultation will run for 6 weeks.
Purpose of the consultation
The main focus of this review concerns the shelf-life of vacuum and modified atmosphere packed chilled fresh beef, lamb and pork (Consultation Point A).
The consultation points are:
- Consultation point A – To review the recommended 10-day shelf-life in relation to VP/MAP chilled fresh beef, lamb and pork in the temperature range from 3C to 8C, as provided for in this guidance.
- Consultation point B – To make amendments to the guidance as recommended in January 2020 by the ACMSF subgroup on C. botulinum.
- Consultation point C – To remove any references in the guidance related to the European Union which will no longer be relevant at the end of the Transition Period.
- Consultation point D – To improve the accessibility of the guidance for users in line with accessibility requirements for public bodies.
Who will this consultation be of most interest to?
Local authorities, meat trade associations, meat manufacturers and food businesses with an interest in vacuum and modified atmosphere packed chilled fresh meat.
Consultation pack
Working in Partnership
We are working in partnership with key industry stakeholders in relation to Consultation Point A - To review the recommended 10-day shelf-life in relation to VP/MAP chilled fresh beef, lamb and pork in the temperature range from 3C to 8C.
You can find more information about this work in our joint statement.
How to respond
Responses are required by 11 November 2020.
Responses should be sent by email to: meathygiene@food.gov.uk
Publication of response summary
Within three months of a consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page.
You can find information on how we handle data provided in response to consultations in our Consultations privacy notice.
Further information
This consultation has been prepared in accordance with HM Government Consultation Principles. If an Impact Assessment has been produced, this is included in the consultation documents. If no Impact Assessment has been provided, the reason will be given in the consultation document.