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Marketing Meat and Meat Products in Saskatchewan Nationally or Internationally | Regina or Saskatoon | Outside the Province's two main cities | Meat Sold at the Farm Gate | Farmers' Market Sales | Regulations for Hospitals | Labeling Requirements | Meat Product Development
Updated: July 2006
Producers who raise livestock with the intent of marketing their own meat or processed meat products should give careful consideration to where they will have their livestock slaughtered or meat processed. The type of plant where animals are slaughtered has a significant impact on where the meat can be marketed
Marketing meat and meat products nationally or internationally requires federal meat inspection. If the intent is to market meat in another country or even in another province in Canada , the animal must be slaughtered and processed in a federally registered plant. Federal inspection is done under the authority of the Canadian Meat Inspection Act and Regulations, and is conducted by officials of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). These regulations contain strict facility construction and sanitation standards to ensure the safety of the meat/meat product, and require ante- and post-mortem inspection of each animal and carcass. Some countries require food safety standards above and beyond federal certification. The European Union, for example, applies its own certification standards above and beyond the Canadian ones. Some meat and meat products are subject to specific labeling requirements. For a list of federally inspected plants, information on safety standards, labeling and EU certification, or for other assistance, contact: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Marketing meat and meat products in Regina or Saskatoon requires at least provincial (i.e. domestic) inspection. (Note, as of April 2005, Moose Jaw rescinded the city by-law requiring meat from inspected carcasses) The cities of Regina and Saskatoon have meat inspection bylaws which predate provincial legislation; consequently the regulatory requirements in those jurisdictions operate slightly differently than in the rest of the province. These civic bylaws require that the animal be slaughtered in a plant that is either federally inspected or enrolled in the provincial domestic meat inspection program. These bylaws apply to all meat and meat products sold to consumers, wholesalers and retailers (including restaurants). Provincial inspection is conducted under the authority of The Diseases of Animals Act and meat inspection regulations, and is similar to the federal standard. The provincial regulations contain facility construction and sanitation standards to ensure the safety of the meat/meat product, and require ante- and post-mortem inspection of each animal and carcass. For a list of provincially inspected plants or for other assistance, contact: If the meat is going to be marketed in any part of Saskatchewan other than the two main cities, the animal must be slaughtered and the meat processed in a facility that is licensed by the local health region. Health district inspection is done under the authority of The Public Health Act and Sanitation Regulations. These regulations contain minimal construction and sanitation standards and do not require carcass inspection. Prior to constructing a health region licensed slaughterhouse or meat processing facility, the operator should consult the senior public health inspector with the local regional health authority. These regulations apply to meat and meat products sold to local restaurants and cafes as well as to local grocery stores Contact the appropriate health services district for the senior public health inspector in your area:
Livestock slaughtered on the farm can be sold only to a consumer who comes directly to the farm gate. The meat can be cut into steaks and roasts, ground into hamburger*, wrapped and frozen on the farm, but no further processing is permitted. (i.e. It cannot be turned into sausage, jerky, bacon, etc. and offered for sale. These products must be produced in a health region http://www.health.gov.sk.ca/ph_rha_map.html approved facility if they are going to be sold.) All liability rests with the farmer. * due to increased risk from bacteria such as E. coli O157H7 with ground meats, proper sanitation of equipment and proper handling and refrigeration of this product is emphasized to avoid any cross contamination Meat and meat products sold through farmers' markets must meet the regulatory requirements of the jurisdiction in which the market is located. In other words, products sold through farmers' markets in Regina , Saskatoon and Moose Jaw require at least provincial inspection; in all other jurisdictions they require health region approval. There are different regulations for marketing meat and meat products to hospitals. If the intention is to sell meat or meat products to a Saskatchewan hospital, the meat can be processed by a health region approved butcher shop but the animal must have been slaughtered at a federally or provincially inspected abattoir. Hospitals fall under the Hospital Standards Regulations and, therefore, have different regulatory standards. Meat and meat products
sold at retail outlets in a pre-packaged form must meet federal labeling
requirements, which are enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The "Guide to Food Labeling and Advertising" is available from
the CFIA website at www.inspection.gc.ca
.
There are two agencies in the province which provide assistance in meat product development and testing The Meat Group at the University of Saskatchewan assists small-to-medium-sized processors with meat product development, formulation evaluation and product improvement, technical support and troubleshooting, on-site inspection and scale-up, and sourcing of ingredients. It also provides seminars, short courses, newsletters and fact sheets. The program can be
reached at: The Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre, also at the University of Saskatchewan , provides processors of all sizes with assistance in product/process development and technical services, interim processing, and food safety and quality assurance training, as well as access to business and market development services. It is a federally registered plant, monitored by the CFIA and operated under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) guidelines. It can manufacture, package and test nearly any meat product. The centre can be reached at: Bryan Doig, PAg, Livestock Agrologist Jim Laturnas, Food Safety Specialist | ||||||
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