12. Appendix A: Food Definitions#

Brand name of Food:

The name that the product is sold under. Do not enter the name of the retailer if the product is just sold there and do not just repeat the name of the food. For:

pre-packed branded products, enter the brand name, eg ‘Heinz’ or ‘Kellogg’s’.
pre-packed own branded products, typically from supermarket chains, enter ‘[Retailer] own label’, eg ‘Tesco own label’, ‘Asda own label’.
food sold loose, eg from a staffed counter in a supermarket or fresh fruit and vegetables, if a brand name can be identified, use it (bearing in mind that it could be ‘own label’). If not, enter ‘No brand’.
ingredients/packaged goods sold in a restaurant/café/takeaway, if a brand name can be identified, use that. If not, enter ‘No brand’.
meals, enter ‘No brand’.

Food description:

Where there is a name laid down by law this must be used. If not, a customary name may be used. If there is no customary name or it is not used, a descriptive name must be used.

This can also be setup in the Optional Look up List. (See Lookup lists)

Nature of Product:

The definitions provided reflect current food labelling regulations.

Raw:

These are foods that are not “Ready-to-eat” and which have not been processed in a manner that is likely to have altered their original microbiological contamination levels.

Such food would include raw red meat, poultry meat and raw fish, whether or not they have been diced, cut or filleted. It would also include root vegetables and shellfish that have not been processed and are not consumed raw.

In Scotland, it also includes raw milk.

Processed:

These are foods that are not “Ready- to-eat” but have been treated or modified in a manner that is likely to have altered their original raw state with respect to microbiological contamination levels.

Such processes would include:

Preservation (such as smoking, curing, pickling, marinating, freezing),
Heat processing (such as par-cooking)
Flash frying
Thermising

This category also includes convenience foods and microwave meals that require re-heating. Foods such as vegetables that are subjected to processes such as peeling and blanching are also included.

Ready to eat:

These are foods that are ready for consumption without further treatment or processing.

This definition covers both unwrapped and pre-wrapped ready-to-eat foods and is intended to apply whether the ready-to-eat food may be consumed hot or cold. The expression “further treatment or processing” is not intended to include food preparation activities such as light washing, slicing, chopping, portioning, marinating or preservation carried out by the consumer by way of preference to an otherwise ready-to-eat item.

Examples of ready-to-eat items include: cooked meats, cooked meat products and preparations such as pies and sausage rolls, cooked/roast chickens, sandwiches and filled rolls, dairy products such as milk and cheese, fruit, pre-washed/topped and tailed vegetables, prepared vegetable salads, whole vegetable items such as tomatoes and or cucumbers, quiches, scotch eggs, savoury pies, ready-to-eat and tinned ready-to-eat fish and fish products such as salmon, tuna or sardines, preserves and jams, condiments, bread, confectionery and biscuits.

Certain foods such as black puddings (either bought in or manufactured on site) may be ready-to-eat or require further cooking before consumption. It remains for the proprietor of the food business to assess the status of such foods and to display them in the appropriate manner. To ensure that the purchaser is provided with appropriate information, it is recommended that the retailer indicate whether the product needs to be fully cooked prior to consumption.

Steak pies may be considered ready-to-eat or require further cooking prior to consumption. Steak pies that have been fired off should be considered ready-to-eat while those with raw pastry should be considered as a raw product and should be displayed in the appropriate manner. To ensure that the purchaser is provided with appropriate information, it is recommended that the retailer indicate that the product needs to be fully cooked prior to consumption.

Swab:

For completeness, swabs can be recorded within the Food Surveillance System. If SWAB is selected under Nature of Product the Category, SubCategory, Packaging & Durability fields are automatically completed.

Packaging:

Not pre-packed:

If the “Not Pre-packed” option is chosen from the drop down list then the Labelling button becomes active. The Labelling details box now appears where additional details can be filled in (See Below)

Labelling options:

Meat Content:

Yes or No is selected and details to be filled in.

Preservatives:

Yes or No is selected and details to be filled in.

Other additives:

Yes or No is selected and details can be built up by clicking on the “Choose” button, the other additives option builder appears (see below)

Once the Other additives option builder appears you can select each additive by clicking the box to the left of it with the mouse, once all selections have been made click the “Add selected” button then chose the Save button. Your selections will now appear in the Labelling details box in the Other Additives area.

Added water:

Yes or No is selected and details to be filled in.

Allergen notice:

Yes or No is selected and details can be built up by clicking on the “Choose” button, the Allergen notice option builder appears (see below)

Once the Allergen notice option builder appears you can select each allergen by clicking the box to the left of it with the mouse, once all selections have been made click the “Add selected” button then chose the “Save” button. Your selections will now appear in the Labelling details box in the Allergen notice area.

Pre-packed for direct sale:

As with Not pre-packed the “Labelling button” again becomes active and the choices detailed in Not pre-packed also apply to Pre-packed for direct sale.

Food (other than flour confectionery, bread, edible ices and cow’s milk) that is pre- packed by a retailer for sale by him on the premises where the food is packed or from a vehicle or stall used by him.
Flour confectionery, bread and edible ices that are pre-packed by a retailer for sale as in sub-paragraph a) of this definition, or pre-packed by the producer of the food for sale by him either on the premises where the food is produced or on other premises from which he conducts business under the same name as the business conducted on the premises where the food is produced.
Cow’s milk that is put into containers on the premises where the milk is produced by the person owning or having control of the herd from which the milk is produced for sale by him on those premises or from a vehicle or stall used by him.

Pre-packed for ultimate consumer:

(TO THE ULTIMATE CONSUMER OR CATERING ESTABLISHMENT)

Food that is put into packaging before being offered for sale in such a way that –

Food, whether wholly or only partly enclosed, cannot be altered without opening or changing the packaging and is ready for sale to the ultimate consumer or to a catering establishment, and includes a food which is wholly enclosed in packaging before being offered for sale and which is intended to be cooked without opening the packaging and which is ready for sale to the ultimate consumer or to a catering establishment.

This does not include foods such as individually wrapped sweets or chocolates which are not enclosed in any further packaging and which are not intended for sale as individual items

Quantity:

Pack quantity/size: The quantity of sample collected as a number

Units: The unit of the sample, i.e. ml

Durability Date:

Best before:: dd/MM/yyyy (in that order)

Best before end: MM/yyyy (in that order)

Use by: dd/MM/yyyy (in that order)

Not provided: The date field becomes invalid.