GB 31616-2025National food safety standard - Hygienic specification for the processing of edible by-products of livestock and poultry (English PDF)

1 Scope

The document lays down the basic requirements on premises, facilities and equipment and personnel, and the management rules for hygiene control, at the stages of collection, sorting, trimming, washing, cooling, freezing, inspection, packaging, storage and transport, and product traceability and recall in the processing of edible by-products of livestock and poultry.

It applies to the processing of edible by-products of livestock and poultry.

2 Terms and definitions

The terms and definitions of GB 14881 and GB 12694 apply to the document.

3 Siting and plant environment

Siting and plant environment meet the relevant provisions of GB 14881 and GB 12694.

4 Buildings and workshops

4.1 General: the relevant provisions of GB 14881 and GB 12694 are met.

4.2.1 Layout. According to the needs of the process, the plant provides a blood storage room or tank, a room for processing edible by-products, a cooling room or area, a freezing room, a packaging room, a chilled by-product store and a frozen by-product store.

4.2.2 The area of the processing room suits the processing capacity, and the layout is set out sensibly in the light of the slaughter process flow and of how clean the raw by-products are. For pigs, cattle, sheep and other large livestock the processing rooms are separated into a room for organs such as heart, liver and lung, a room for spleen, stomach, intestine and bladder, and a room for head, trotters and tail. For poultry and rabbits the processing rooms are separated into a viscera room or area and a head and feet room or area.

4.2.3 The processing room has a temporary waste holding area.

4.2.4 Separate exits are provided for the finished product and for waste such as digestive tract contents, and the finished product exit is kept well away from the waste exit.

5 Facilities and equipment

5.1.1 The relevant provisions of GB 14881 and GB 12694 are met.

5.1.2 Exhaust ventilation is provided, as processing requires, in areas that generate hot vapour or a strong smell.

5.2.1 Water supply and drainage. Cold and hot water lines are laid separately at the water points of the processing room as the process requires. The cold and hot lines are clearly marked apart and the direction of flow is shown.

5.2.2 Drainage is provided as the process requires. Floor drains in the workshop are fitted with solid waste collection and with water-sealed traps or similar devices, to stop solid waste blocking the drains and foul air escaping.

5.3.1 Cleaning and disinfection facilities are provided separately for processing areas of different cleanliness requirements.

5.3.2 Those facilities are made of non-toxic, corrosion resistant and easily cleaned materials.

5.4 Temperature and humidity monitoring. The processing room, the cooling room, the freezing room, the packaging room, the chilled by-product store and the frozen by-product store are fitted with temperature display devices and their temperature is monitored. The cooling room and the chilled store should be fitted with a hygrometer.

5.5.1 Processing equipment matching the character of the edible by-products is provided and is arranged according to the several process flows, so as to avoid cross-contamination.

5.5.2 Equipment and tools of different processing rooms or areas are not used interchangeably.

5.5.3 Washing equipment and tools are made of stainless steel or of another non-toxic, harmless material that does not corrode easily. Holding vessels do not let water through and are made of materials that are non-toxic and odourless, resist corrosion, do not deform or shed easily and can be washed and disinfected repeatedly.

5.5.4 Vessels for different uses are clearly marked or differ in colour, and are not used interchangeably.

5.5.5 Waste containers are made of material that does not let water through, are closed with a lid, do not leak and are used for that purpose alone.

6 Hygiene management

6.1 The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

6.2 Processing water meets GB 5749. Hot water used for washing should not be below 40 °C and hot water used for disinfection is not below 82 °C.

6.3 A hygiene management system covering cleaning and disinfection is set up. Equipment and tools are kept apart before and after cleaning and disinfection, so as to avoid cross-contamination.

6.4 A safety control system for edible by-products should be set up and run effectively on the principles of hazard analysis and critical control point, HACCP.

7 Food raw materials, food additives and food-related products

7.1 The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

7.2 Raw edible by-products may be processed only after they have passed inspection and quarantine.

7.3 The use of food additives and processing aids meets the relevant provisions of GB 2760.

8 Food safety control of the processing operation

8.1.1 The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

8.1.2 The temperature of the rooms processing heart, liver, lung and similar organs of livestock and of the room processing poultry viscera should be held below 12 °C.

8.1.3 Before poultry and rabbit viscera enter the processing room or area, the heart, liver, stomach and intestine are separated out first and the rest of the processing follows. Once edible by-products have entered the processing room or area they are processed as soon as possible.

8.1.4 Where abnormal tissue such as an abscess, a necrotic focus or a focus of parasitic infection not shared between humans and animals is found during processing, it is trimmed away.

8.1.5 Suspect diseased tissue, body fluid and digestive tract contents are kept from contaminating the processing site and the facilities and equipment; a site, bench or other facility, item of equipment or tool already contaminated is washed and disinfected before it is used again.

8.2.1 Blood of livestock and poultry for food is collected at a point close to the bleeding operation of the slaughter line. Hollow-needle collection or stab bleeding should be used. The blood collected is brought below 8 °C within 4 h and stored at 0 °C to 4 °C.

8.2.2 The blood is filtered as it is collected, to remove hair, chyme and other foreign matter.

8.2.3 The blood collected is stored in closed vessels, and those vessels are numbered in step with the carcasses. Where the slaughter inspection and quarantine fails, all the blood in the corresponding closed vessel is discarded and disposed of harmlessly.

8.2.4 Not more than 72 h passes between the collection of the blood and its processing into a blood product.

8.3.1 Heart, liver, lung and the like are separated as the process requires.

8.3.2 The gall bladder is removed without breaking it. Where it does break, the part fouled by bile is trimmed away.

8.3.3 The fat on the surface of the kidney is trimmed away.

8.4.1 Spleen, stomach and intestine are separated and the spleen is stored on its own.

8.4.2 The stomach and intestine are turned out to empty their contents and washed clean under running water. Water is not allowed to collect on the working surface.

8.4.3 Suitable measures are taken to keep the contents of stomach and intestine off their outer surface, and dedicated tools or equipment should be used to remove those contents. Where a dedicated tumbling washer is used, the inner surface of the stomach is flushed thoroughly of residual contents before the stomach goes into the washer.

8.4.4 The inner lining of the poultry gizzard is removed and none is left behind. Where automatic or semi-automatic gizzard peeling equipment is used, the contents of the gizzard are removed and it is washed clean before it enters the equipment.

8.4.5 The contents of stomachs and intestines are kept in a dedicated area in dedicated containers, and are cleared away promptly by designated staff, either taken out of the plant or moved to the waste holding area by pipeline blowing or a similar means.

8.4.6 The bladder is washed on its own under running water and collected and stored separately.

8.5.1 Heads and tails are scalded and dehaired before washing.

8.5.2 Trotters are scalded, the hoof shell is removed and they are dehaired before washing; feet are scalded and the yellow skin is removed before washing.

8.6.1 When chilled edible by-products are made, the time from the bleeding of the animal to the entry of the by-product into the cooling room is held within 2 h, blood excepted.

8.6.2 Where running water is used for cooling, the water is kept continuously below the core temperature the product is to reach after cooling.

8.6.3 After cooling, the core temperature of viscera products is held below 3 °C, and that of other edible by-products such as head, trotters and feet, and tail below 7 °C. When frozen products are made, the by-products are frozen immediately after treatment, and their core temperature is brought below minus 15 °C within 48 h before they go into the cold store.

8.7.1 Packaging: the relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

8.7.2 Edible by-products of different kinds should be packed by kind.

8.7.3 Where chilled or frozen edible by-products need packing, the packing is completed as quickly as possible and the packaging room is not above 12 °C.

8.8.1 Cleaning and disinfection. The methods used are safe, hygienic and effective. Workshop facilities and equipment are cleaned and disinfected promptly as processing requires. During processing, tools, work benches and processing surfaces in contact with food are washed and disinfected at intervals, suitable measures being taken so that the washing and disinfection do not contaminate the product. The processing workshop is cleaned and disinfected at intervals.

8.8.2 Microbiological monitoring of the processing operation. The risks of microbial contamination that may exist in the process and in the processing environment should be identified and effectively controlled. Where necessary a microbiological monitoring programme for the processing of edible by-products is set up, covering the monitoring indices, the sampling points, the monitoring frequency, the sampling and test methods, the assessment principles and the handling of non-conformities; Annex A may be followed.

8.9.1 Chemical contamination control. The detergents and disinfectants used meet GB 14930.1 and GB 14930.2 respectively.

8.9.2 After equipment, tools and work benches have been treated with a detergent or disinfectant, they are washed thoroughly with processing water.

8.9.3 Detailed records are kept of the purchase and use of chemicals such as detergents and disinfectants, covering the user, the area, the amount, the time and the concentration made up.

8.9.4 Chemicals such as detergents and disinfectants are clearly marked on their outer packaging, kept in a dedicated store and placed in the care of a designated person.

8.10.1 Waste handling. Waste such as hair, bile and digestive tract contents produced during processing is cleared away promptly.

8.10.2 Temporary waste holding facilities inside the workshop are clearly marked, and the final waste holding place is outside the processing premises, so as to prevent contamination. Escape of foul smells and the breeding of pests are prevented.

8.10.3 Hazardous waste is held closed and disposed of harmlessly without delay.

9 Inspection

The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

10 Storage and transport

10.1 The relevant provisions of GB 14881 and GB 31605 are met.

10.2 The chilled by-product store is held at 0 °C to 4 °C and the frozen by-product store below minus 18 °C, and temperature records are kept.

10.3 The temperature display and the area marking of the cold store are clear and to a proper form.

10.4 Products leave the store on the first in, first out principle.

10.5 Before chilled edible by-products are loaded, their core temperature is brought to 0 °C to 4 °C, and the temperature inside the body of the vehicle is held at 0 °C to 4 °C in transit. Before frozen edible by-products are loaded, their core temperature is brought to minus 15 °C or below, and the temperature inside the body of the vehicle is held at minus 18 °C or below in transit. Temperature records are kept.

10.6 Edible by-products should not be carried unpacked. Heads, trotters and feet, viscera and the like are carried in vessels that do not let water through. Stomach, intestine and bladder that are not sealed in packaging are not put in the same vessel as heart, liver, lung, spleen and kidney.

10.7 Transport vehicles are washed and disinfected promptly and kept clean.

11 Product traceability and recall management

The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

12 Training

The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

13 Management systems and personnel

The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

14 Records and document management

The relevant provisions of GB 14881 are met.

A Annex A Guide to the microbiological monitoring programme for the processing of edible by-products of livestock and poultry

A.1 The annex gives the microbiological monitoring requirements for the processing environment and for in-process product, and an enterprise may adjust them to suit the character of its products and the technical level of its process.

A.2 The enterprise carries out testing according to its internal quality control requirements, verifies the effect of cleaning, and monitors the semi-finished product before packing and the processing environment; Table A.1 may be followed.

A.3 An enterprise that carries out microbiological monitoring provides the corresponding test equipment, facilities and reagents. The amount of test equipment suits the processing capacity of the enterprise.

A.4 In setting up the environmental microbiological monitoring programme, the relevant provisions of GB 14881 are followed. The collection and handling of samples and the test methods are settled in the light of the actual process.

A.5 Environmental sampling points are placed mainly in the cooling room and the packaging room; other areas may be monitored as needed.

Table A.1 is arranged in five columns: the monitoring item, the suggested sampling point, the suggested organisms to monitor, the suggested monitoring frequency and the suggested limit value for the monitoring index. It has four rows, three of them under environmental monitoring and one under in-process product monitoring. The environmental rows are food contact surfaces, sampled at the hands, working clothes and gloves of the operators, conveyor belts, tools, bench surfaces, cooling water and other equipment surfaces in direct contact with the by-products, monitored for aerobic plate count, coliforms and salmonella among others; contact surfaces adjacent to the food or to food contact surfaces, sampled at outer equipment surfaces, frame surfaces and control panels, monitored for aerobic plate count and coliforms among others; and the ambient air of the processing area, sampled close to exposed product and monitored for aerobic plate count among others. The in-process row is the product awaiting packing at the end of the processing line, monitored for aerobic plate count, coliforms and salmonella among others. The suggested frequency in every row is at least once a month. The suggested limit values are not tabulated as numbers: each row states that the enterprise sets them on the basis of test data or scientific material, in the light of the character of the by-product and of the actual process. Three footnotes add that the sampling point may be chosen to suit the character of the food and the actual process, that one or more indicator organisms may be chosen for monitoring, and that the frequency may be settled by the risk at the particular sampling point.