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Code of Practice: Processing of Bee Products

13 Glossary of Terms

Amendment 2

June 2006

Act means the Animal Products Act 1999.

Amenities includes toilets, wash rooms, locker rooms, change rooms, lunch/smoke rooms, and cafeterias.

Bulk honey is the common term used in New Zealand for honey obtained by extraction, settling or straining, and with or without minimal heating. Bulk honey is usually packed in drums.

Comb honey is honey presented in its original comb or portions thereof.

Clean, when used as a verb, means to remove visible contaminants from any surface.

Creamed honey is extracted honey that has been processed by controlled crystallization.

Equipment includes —

a. the whole or any part of any utensil, machine, fitting, device, instrument, stamp, apparatus, table, or article, that is used or available for use in or for the preparing, marking, processing, packing, storing, carrying, or handling of any animal material, animal product, ingredient, additive, or processing aid; and

b. any utensil or machine used or capable of being used in the cleaning of any equipment or facilities.

Essential services includes the provision of process gases, lighting, ventilation, and water and waste management.

Extraction is the removal of honey from the comb by centrifugal force, gravity, straining or other means.

Facilities includes amenities, storage areas, and processing areas.

Honey means the natural sweet substance produced by honey bees from the nectar of blossoms or from secretions of living parts of plants or excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform and combine with specific substances of their own, store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature.

Honey super means a unit of a beehive which contains frames of surplus honey to be harvested by the apiarist or beekeeper, and box, honey box or super has the same meaning.

Label includes any wording, tag, brand, symbol, picture, or other descriptive matter written, printed, stencilled, marked, embossed, impressed on, appearing on, attached to, or enclosed within any animal material or animal product.

Liquid honey is extracted honey that has been processed to make it completely liquid and free from visible crystals.

NZFSA means the New Zealand Food Safety Authority which is a semi-autonomous agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Operator means an operator of a premises or place who operates an animal product business that is subject to a risk management programme.

Operator verification means the application of methods, procedures, tests and other checks by the operator to confirm the ongoing —

a. compliance of the risk management programme to the legislative requirements; and

b. compliance of the operation to the risk management programme as written; and

c. applicability of the risk management programme to the operation; and forms part of confirmation as described in section 17(3)(f) of the Act.

Packaging —

a. means any material that is intended to protect and that comes into immediate contact with the animal material or animal product; and

b. includes rigid materials such as cartons and containers where animal material or animal product is filled directly into the carton or container; and

c. includes any other material contained with, in, or attached to, the animal material or animal product (such as labels, satay sticks, and heat sensors).

Potable water means water that —

a. in relation to water supplied by an independent supplier (including a public or private supplier), is of a standard administered by the independent supplier under the Health Act 1956 and any regulations made under that Act; or

b. in relation to water supplied by the operator solely for the use of the operator (such as bore water, rainwater, surface water, or ground water),—

i. is of a standard equivalent to that referred to in paragraph (a), as determined by the operator based on an analysis of hazards and other risk factors; or

ii. complies with the requirements in Schedule 1 of the current version of the Animal Products (Specifications for Products Intended for Human Consumption) Notice; or

c. meets the requirements of the current “Meat Division Circulars 86/3/2 Surveillance of Potable Water in Meat and Game Export Premises" and “86/3/5 Amendment to MDC 86/3/2 86/14/5 on Surveillance of Potable Water in Meat and Game Export Premises” issued by the Ministry.

Protective clothing means special garments intended to preclude the contamination of animal material or animal product that are used as outer wear by persons; and includes head coverings and footwear.

Reticulation management plan means a documented programme that contains procedures for the management of the water reticulation system, (including pipework and fittings e.g. backflow prevention devices etc.), within the premises or place to ensure that the water quality is not adversely affected prior to the point of use.

Sanitary design —

a. in relation to any premises or place, facility, internal structure, equipment, or conveyance, means designed, constructed, and located so that it —

i. meets the requirements appropriate to the type of animal material or animal product and process, and which includes consideration of the movement of people, access, and process flow; and

ii. can be readily maintained, cleaned, sanitised, and sterilised where required, to ensure that risk factors from contaminants and pests are minimised; and

b. in relation to any equipment or accessway in any processing area, means that the equipment or accessway is designed, constructed and located so that it —

i. is easily accessible for maintenance, cleaning, operation, checking, and inspection; and

ii. minimises the contact of contaminants with any animal material (other than live mammals or live birds), or animal product or other equipment; and

iii. precludes the harbouring or accumulation of any contaminants or pests.

Sanitise means the application of an approved maintenance compound or physical agent with the intention of reducing microbial contamination to a level that will avoid the creation of a hazard.

Suitably skilled person means a person who in the opinion of the operator is skilled in a particular activity or task through training, experience, or qualifications.

Transport includes transport by road, rail, sea or air.

Transportation outer means a package that —

a. encases any packaged or unpackaged animal material or animal product for the purpose of transportation and distribution; and

b. is either removed before the animal product is used or offered for retail sale, or is not taken away by the consumer of the product;

but does not include a transportation unit.

Transportation unit includes vehicles, aircraft, railway wagons, ships, shipping containers, bulk tanks, trailers and any other form of transport used in the transport of animal material or product.

Water management plan means a documented programme that specifies the water quality standard and criteria, and procedures for the management of the water quality within the premises or place to ensure that the appropriate quality of water is delivered at the point of use.