Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 1 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Guidance Note on the EU Classification of Food Guidance Note No. 2 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 2 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 3 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Guidance Note on the EU Classification of Food Published by: Food Safety Authority of Ireland Abbey Court Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Tel: +353 1 8171 300 Fax: +353 1 8171 301 Email: [email protected] Website: www.fsai.ie © 2001 Applications for reproduction should be made to the FSAI Information Unit ISBN 0-9539183-3-5 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 4 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Other food safety Guidance Notes available from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland: Guidance Note No 1 Inspection of a Food Business (2000) ISBN 0-9539183-2-7 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 5 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Contents INTRODUCTION 1 PURPOSE 2 CLASSIFYING AND CODING A FOOD SAMPLE 3 CATEGORY CRITERIA 6 REFERENCES 18 APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLE PRODUCTS 20 01 Dairy Products 21 02 Egg and Egg Products 23 03 Meat and Meat Products, Game and Poultry 24 04 Fish, Shellfish and Molluscs 27 05 Fats and Oils 30 06 Soups, Broths and Sauces 31 07 Cereals and Bakery Products 33 08 Fruit and Vegetables 36 09 Herbs and Spices 38 10 Non-Alcoholic Beverages 39 11 Wine 40 12 Alcoholic Beverages (Other than Wine) 41 13 Ices and Desserts 42 14 Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea 43 15 Confectionery 44 16 Nuts and Nut Products, Snacks 45 17 Prepared Dishes 46 18 Foodstuffs Intended For Special Nutritional Uses 47 19 Additives 48 20 Materials and Articles Intended to come into Contact with Foodstuffs 49 21 Others 50 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 6 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 1 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Introduction The Food Safety Authority of Ireland Act 1988, facilitated the establishment of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) to perform the functions assigned to it by this Act. The principle function of the Authority shall be to take all reasonable steps to ensure that: (a) food production in the State (whether or not distributed or marketed in the State), and (b)food distributed or marketed in the State, meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene reasonably available. It shall, in particular, take all reasonable steps to ensure that such food complies: 1) with any relevant food legislation in respect of food safety and hygiene standards, or 2) in the absence of any such legislation, with the provisions of generally recognised standards or codes of good practice aimed at ensuring the achievement of high standards of food hygiene and food safety. The FSAI believes that Guidance Notes have a major role to play in helping both the regulators and the food industry achieve a higher degree of compliance with Regulations and with good practice generally.A good, well prepared, Guidance Note must, if it is to achieve these objectives, provide regulators and industry alike with clear guidance on the application of the relevant law. While a Guidance Note is not, of course, a substitute for the Regulations, the FSAI believes that adherence to it should make compliance easier by providing the basis for a high degree of consistency in application of those Regulations. In other words, the FSAI believes that a good Guidance Note will enhance respect for and compliance with the law and that all parties, especially consumers, will benefit. We hope this series of Guidance Notes will meet the aims we have set out here and that they will contribute to the development of the high standards we aim to achieve in the food inspection service. This document should be used as a guide when classifying food samples, submitted for microbiological and/or chemical analysis to the official food control laboratories by authorised officers. Classification of food samples into discrete categories will facilitate the health boards and laboratories in the completion of their returns to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, under the terms of the service contracts1.In turn, this will enable the completion of official statistical returns to the European Commission.The segregation of food into discrete categories and will also allow for a more in-depth analysis of these returns. Such information may prove valuable in the design of sampling programmes and trend spotting, with the overall intention of providing optimal data for the protection of the consumer. 1 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 2 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Purpose To standardise the recording of the particulars of a foodstuff submitted for testing by an authorised officer to the official laboratories.The standardised information will enable the correct completion of official statistical returns and clearer identification of food safety issues.The coding system is important to enable electronic capture of information in a database form at a national level. 2 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:46 AM Page 3 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Classifying and Coding a Food Sample Samples are classified by EU category as defined by the European Communities2. In this classification system, each of the 21 categories are coded using an EU category code (01-21). EU categories and their associated codes are listed in Table 1. Many products are easy to classify, however this is not always the case. Ambiguities may arise in certain instances. This is particularly the case with multi-component products containing food components from a number of different categories e.g. soft drinks containing yoghurt, products containing eggs and cereal, products containing meat and eggs, products containing fish and eggs, etc. To clarify these issues a set of criteria has been developed to describe each EU category (see ‘Category Criteria’) and most products may be categorised using these criteria.The decision tree shown in Figure 1 should be applied if difficulty arises when classifying food samples. NOTE: There are multi-component products that are not classified using the decision tree. For this reason it is important to read the criteria for each category as detailed in ‘Category Criteria’, where all exceptions are noted. For assistance, example products are also listed in Appendix 1. 3 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:47 AM Page 4 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Ta ble 1: EU Categories and EU Category Codes EU Category EU Category Code 01 Dairy Products 02 Egg and Egg Products 03 Meat and Meat Products, Game and Poultry 04 Fish, Shellfish and Molluscs 05 Fats and Oils 06 Soups, Broths and Sauces 07 Cereals and Bakery Products 08 Fruit and Vegetables 09 Herbs and Spices 10 Non-alcoholic Beverages 11 Wine 12 Alcoholic Beverages (other than wine) 13 Ices and Desserts 14 Cocoa and Cocoa Preparations, Coffee and Tea 15 Confectionery 16 Nuts and Nut Products, Snacks 17 Prepared Dishes 18 Foodstuffs Intended for Special Nutritional Uses 19 Additives 20 Materials and Articles Intended to come into Contact with Foodstuffs 21 Others 4 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:47 AM Page 5 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Figure 1 Procedure for Classifying Multi-component Products Product contains ≥ 50% egg Classify as "Egg and Egg YES and/or egg product and products" even if product satisfies all other criteria for also contains meat/fish. "Egg and Egg Products". (See 'Category Criteria') NO Product contains meat and/or Classify as "Meat and Meat YES meat products and satisfies all Products" even if the product also other criteria for "Meat and Meat contains fish. Products, Game and Poultry". (See 'Category Criteria') NO Product contains fish and/or Classify as "Fish, Shellfish and YES shellfish and/or molluscs and Molluscs". satisfies all other criteria for "Fish, Shellfish and Molluscs" (See 'Category Criteria') NO Product should be classified in some other category. (See 'Category Criteria') 5 Guidance #2.qxd 6/7/01 10:47 AM Page 6 Derek ALPHA:WORK:fsai-Guidance #2-14778: Category Criteria • EU Category Code 1 - Dairy Products This category should be used for food samples that comply with the following definition: "Milk products namely products exclusively derived from milk, it being accepted that substances necessary for their manufacture may be added provided that these substances are not used to replace in part or in whole any milk constituent, and composite milk products, namely products of which no part replaces or is intended to replace any milk constituent and of which milk or a milk product is an essential part, either in terms of quantity or characterisation of the product".3 Cheese, dairy fats, ice cream, milk and yoghurt should be categorised as Dairy Products. Important Note: Products which contain only a minimal amount of milk or milk product would not be regarded as a milk product e.g. milk chocolate and drinks containing yoghurt. However, if the milk or milk product determines the character of the final product and it could not be made without the milk ingredient, then the product is regarded as a milk product e.g. cheeses and pre-prepared drinks made up with milk. Clarification: The following inclusions and exclusions are applicable: Inclusions • Custard prepared with milk •Butter and dairy fats • Drinking chocolate, ovaltine and other drinks prepared with milk.