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Environmental Health

In addition to the physical examination of the food it is necessary to check, as far as meat and
meat products are concerned, on the presence of the Official Certificate. This certificate is a document
which must be attached to all meat or meat products imported into this country which declares that
the meat or the meat from which the product has been manufactured has been derived from animals
inspected before and after death in accordance with criteria satisfactory to the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food and that the dressing, packing and other preparation was carried out with all
the necessary precautions for the prevention of danger to health. The Certificate also includes the
number of the establishment in which the food was prepared.
Importations are only permitted from those countries where the Minister has agreed an Official
Certificate and from establishments in that country which have been approved. Each public health
inspector has a list of Official Certificates and of the numbers of approved establishments and is
therefore able to satisfy himself whether it is possible to permit any import irrespective of its physical
condition.
Seven consignments of meat and meat products not accompanied by an Official Certificate were
detained, three were subsequently re-exported and four were destroyed.
As part of the control on imported food, samples are taken for both bacteriological and chemical
examination.
Unsatisfactory samples were so classified by reason of high bacterial counts. In only one sample
was salmonella isolated. Importers and Exporters are advised of unsatisfactory results and action is
requested for an improvement in the standard of the product.