Annex P-2 - Organoleptic Inspection for Poultry Meat Products

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Sampling, Inspection Procedures and Disposition for Poultry Carcasses/Meat, Packed in Boxes or Combos

1. Scope

This procedure applies to fresh or frozen poultry and domestic rabbit carcasses and parts, including young and mature chicken, turkey, duck and goose. The procedure can be considered complete only if combined with Annex O and P. The inspection procedures for poultry products described herein are available in Chapter 19, Annex D of the Manual of Procedures (MOP).

1.1 Definitions

Fresh: In respect of a meat product ingredient, not cooked or preserved; Meat Inspection Regulations, Schedule 1.

2. Sampling Plans

The Inspector shall select the required sample units using the sampling plan for the product examination found on the ICTS Import Inspection Report (IIR). If this plan is found to be inappropriate or a copy of the IIR is not available, the sampling plan must be elaborated manually. The Inspector will find the appropriate sampling plans in Annex D, Chapter 19, MOP.

3. Preparation of Products for Inspection

Samples shall be selected from the staged lot following the cursory/visual inspection of the lot regardless of the results of the cursory inspection.

In addition to the sample units selection and handling procedures specified in Annex P the following procedures apply for this product category:

• The Operator shall remove sufficient random sub-sample units as determined by the Inspector from their shipping containers and present the sub-sample units on tables for inspection.
• The sub-sample units shall be displayed on the examination tables in such a manner that they retain their sample unit number identity.
• Sub-sample units of frozen imported meat product shall be defrosted. Refer to defrosting methods and procedures in Annex D of Chapter 19.

4. Inspection Procedures

This section outlines the procedure for the examination of poultry carcasses and parts. The organoleptic examination shall be made of products of a defined lot (N), in the fresh or tempered state, for decomposition, wholesomeness and workmanship related defects.

For poultry carcasses or parts packaged in boxes a representative sub-sample consisting of at least 10% of each sample unit is selected. For poultry carcasses or parts packaged in bulk combos a representative 50 kg sub-sample is selected from each combo. The sub-sample should correspond to 5% of the combo by weight. Level of selection of the sub-samples from within the combos should be varied: top, middle and bottom. During the product examination, the Inspector shall verify the accuracy of the label and certification claim for grade and common name. Correlation of the sub-sample unit meat product name, the label of the shipping container and the product description on the OMIC is to be established. The Inspector shall thoroughly examine all sub-samples for defects. The defects associated with this product category are identified in "Defect Criteria for Poultry Carcasses and Parts" Annex D, Chapter 19. Veterinary advice must be sought with respect to defects which cannot be named or have not been encountered previously.

The defects shall be classified as minor, major, and critical and shall be recorded on the Poultry Reinspection Worksheet in the appropriate blocks. Refer to Annex S-1 of this Chapter.

5. Disposition/Decision Criteria

The Inspector will record all defects on import inspection worksheet and will classify them according to Annex D of Chapter 19, MOP.

To determine acceptability or rejection of the lot, the Inspector shall apply the criteria as provided in Annex D of Chapter 19, MOP. Any critical defect found will result in the rejection of the lot.

For poultry carcasses or parts packaged in boxes the presence in a sub-sample of at least one major defect or any two minor defects will result in that corresponding sample unit being considered defective.

For poultry carcasses or parts packaged in bulk combos the presence of at least five major defects, any ten minor defects, or any combination of minor and major defects totaling ten in any sub-sample, will result in that corresponding combo being considered defective.

Using Annex D of Chapter 19, MOP, Sampling Plans for Poultry Carcasses and Parts, find the Acceptance (Ac) number corresponding to the level of the sampling plan to determine the acceptability of the lot based on the number of defective sample units found during the examination. If this number is less than, or equal to, the acceptance number, the lot is accepted; otherwise, the lot is deemed to fail.