- Print Friendly - Help

Meat at stalls – Food safety programmes

If you wish to sell raw red meat for human consumption at a food stall, you must first register a food safety programme (FSP). You cannot sell it under the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974.

NZFSA has developed a FSP template to enable you to sell pre-packaged raw meat from a stall. The template also enables the sale of pre-packaged processed meats.

If you do not sell raw red meat from your food stall then having a FSP is voluntary.

This template is not for you if you want to sell petfood at a stall. See the pet food FAQ below.

Pet food manufacturing — FAQ on regulatory requirements

Definitions and examples

‘Raw meat’ is meat that has not been processed. Examples include meat cuts and joints, such as beef steak, pork chops, leg of lamb, chicken breasts, haunch of venison.

‘Processed meat’ is meat that has been subject to a process such as mincing or brining. Examples include cured bacon and sausages.

‘Ready-to-eat processed meat’ is meat that does not need any further processing before consumption. Examples include ham, salami, cooked meats, canned meat.

‘Red meat’ comes from animals such as sheep, cows, deer and goats.

While the FSP template is also appropriate for ‘white meat’ such as poultry, it does not cover fish or shellfish.

New businesses

New stalls selling raw red meat must register their FSP before starting to trade.

Existing businesses

Existing stalls selling raw red meat will need to register a FSP. You must apply to your local council to register your FSP by 1 April 2010. You must also ensure that the council has verified your FSP by 1 September 2010.

Businesses selling raw meat and processed meat

A stall that sells raw red meat and processed meat can sell both under a registered Meat at stalls FSP.

Businesses selling only processed meat

A stall that currently sells canned meat, cooked meat, pre-packed poultry, sausages, cured ham or cured bacon, but does not sell raw red meat, may continue to be registered under the Food Hygiene Regulations. Alternatively, you may voluntarily register a FSP.

Developing your FSP, using the template

A food safety programme provides information that helps a business comply with its legal obligations to sell safe and suitable food and food-related products. ‘Safe’ means unlikely to cause illness or injury to consumers; ‘suitable’ includes such things as the composition, labelling and condition of the meat.

The FSP template for meat stalls was originally devised for pre-packaged raw red meat only. This would have meant that a stall selling raw and processed meat would have had to register twice – a FSP for the raw meat and registration under the Food Hygiene Regulations for the processed meat. To avoid this, the FSP has been expanded to also cover the sale of pre-packaged processed meat and pre-packaged ready-to-eat meat products, meaning that a stall selling both raw and processed meat only has to register once.

The scope of this FSP is limited to storage, transport and display for sale of pre-packaged meat from stalls. It does not include other activities, such as cutting, processing or packaging the meat. These must have been already carried out by a business that is registered to carry out these activities.

You need to fill in (‘tailor’) some sections of the FSP to show how you are managing food safety.

The FSP template includes pre-printed record forms and comprehensive guidance. Download the FSP template below.

Meat stalls FSP template [PDF 289 KB]

Registration and verification

Register your meat stall FSP through your local council. Since a meat stall is classed as a mobile food premises, it will normally be registered at your ‘home base’, where it is kept.

A stall operating under a registered FSP is exempt from registering under the Food Hygiene Regulations. This means you only need to register once. You are not required to register the FSP in each local authority district where trading takes place.

You can get the application form from your council offices, or on request from NZFSA.

Your local council will verify your Meat at stalls FSP. During verification, they will check that your FSP is appropriate for the extent of your business activities, that you have tailored it for your business, and that you are managing food safety as identified in your FSP. The council will also check any records and will want to see your stall in action to confirm that you are following safe practices.

Operating your FSP

Operating your FSP requires you to monitor certain activities at your business and keep limited records.

For example, you will need to:

• monitor meat temperatures during storage, transport and display

• keep a meat inventory to ensure that all meat comes from a regulated source (not from home kill or recreationally caught meat).

The ‘Management’ section of the FSP template details what you need to do. Pre-printed record forms and a diary are also provided to assist with monitoring and record keeping.

Background

In August 2009, NZFSA consulted on a proposal to introduce a food safety programme (FSP) template for the sale of pre-packaged raw red meat at stalls.

The FSP template is intended to make it easier for businesses selling raw unprocessed meat to meet their legal obligations for food safety, both now and in the longer term. The findings of the discussion document are on the Consultation page in the Related links below.

Related links

• Consultation – Red meat at stalls

• Food safety programmes

Contact

For further information on selling pre-packaged meat from stalls, contact your local council.

Updated 03 March 2010