Advancing the hygiene management system at red meat abattoirs in Gauteng

Abstract

Direct control by government over abattoirs shifted in the late 1980s through privatisation. The legislated food safety system, namely the Hygiene Management System (HMS), coupled with the Hygiene Assessment System (HAS) attempted to address problems of control. The responsibility to implement and maintain these systems is now the responsibility of abattoir operators who must ensure that meat is processed within the risk-based HMS. However requirements for the HMS are scattered throughout legislation, government policies and guideline documents. The research aim was to suggest themes toward the development of an implementation guideline document for HMS implementation by conducting gap assessment audits at abattoirs using the Hygiene Assessment System (HAS).