Brazil seeks to improve poultry inspection
The Brazilian Poultry Union (UBABEF) has signed an agreement with the federal food safety inspectors union ANFFA to form a working group looking at the problem of carcase condemnation. It aims to create national standards for carcase inspection, and conduct training with ANFFA members.
According to industry estimates, around half of poultry carcases condemned by inspectors are in fact fit for consumption. UBABEF president Francisco Turra claimed this was the result of inspectors using unscientific criteria that varied from those adopted in the US, Canada and the EU. “A small spot is enough for a full cut to go to waste, according to these criteria,” he said.
Turra explained that unnecessary condemnation of poultry caused the plant “severe economic losses, with meat fit for consumption being discarded to a rendering plant”. He added that it also wasted valuable resources. “To produce that meat, corn, soybeans, fuels for transport, labour and various other elements that have been used are simply discarded,” he said.
A survey conducted by UBABEF revealed that one poultry plant, with an average annual harvest of 51.6m head of poultry, had 2.2% of its total production condemned. If this reflects the national average, around 145,200 tonnes of poultry are being wasted, said the union.
UBABEF said the initiative was part of its work with other members of the Latin American Poultry Association to reduce food waste related to poultry production, in line with proposals from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
