The official control system for the traceability of meat and meat products in Greece is generally satisfactory, according to a report from the EU’s food and veterinary office (FVO) published on Tuesday 16 August.
The report describes the outcome of an audit carried out in Greece from 3 to 13 November 2015, the main aim of which was to assess the functioning of official controls over the traceability of meat (domestic hoofed animal meat, poultry, lagomorphs and game), minced meat, mechanically separated meat (MSM), meat preparations and meat products, along with processed products containing meat and meat products and other ingredients.
Particular attention was paid to traceability, labelling and identification systems for meat and meat products, and to the traceability of the quantity of each ingredient used.
The report concludes that the official control system for the traceability of meat and meat products is "generally effective". The experts did, however, reveal "omissions" in the control lists provided for staff, and in implementation of the official controls, particularly those on the use of additives and the traceability of mechanically separated meat. While the omissions "do not call into question the overall effectiveness of official controls, they can reduce the ability of the competent authorities to consistently verify that traceability requirements are effectively implemented by all operators concerned", the FVO report states. It makes a number of recommendations to the Greek authorities for improving the control systems in place and their application. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)