§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations are in place governing(a) the quality and (b) the origin of meat served in restaurants. [133896]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 27 October 2003]: Meat sold for human consumption at retail or in catering establishments has to comply with the Food Safety Act 1990 and regulations made under the Act. These regulations require animals slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses to undergo veterinary ante-mortem inspection., and their carcasses to be subjected to post-mortem inspection and health marked, if found fit for human consumption, under the supervision of an official veterinarian. There are no specific regulations dealing with origin of meat served in restaurants. However, if origin information is provided it must not be false or misleading.