Food Law News - EU - 2013


Commission Midday Express, 4 February 2013

HYGIENE - EU authorises the use of lactic acid for decontamination of bovine carcasses

A measure authorising the use of lactic acid to reduce microbiological surface contamination on bovine carcasses was today adopted by the European Commission and will enter into force on 25 February 2013.

EU hygiene legislation provides the possibility to approve the use of a treatment for surface decontamination of food of animal origin, such as by applying lactic acid. The possibility to use lactic acid should in no way be considered as a substitution for good hygienic slaughtering practices and operating procedures. Indeed, it should be integrated into good hygienic practices and into systems which are already in place, based on risk analysis and critical control points. This additional tool would help reduce the contamination by the most important pathogens widely found in food borne diseases such as Verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) and Salmonella.

The measure was preceded by a thorough risk assessment by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which resulted in a favourable opinion published on 26 July 2011 on the safety and efficacy of lactic acid.


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