England and EU differ on defrosted poultry meat stance
United Kingdom
Published Nov 30, 2022
Tridge summary
England and Wales are to ease the rules temporarily on defrosted poultry meat because of the impact of bird flu.
Original content
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising consumers buying turkey, duck, capon, or goose products that they may have been previously frozen and defrosted before being sold as chilled. The United Kingdom is dealing with its worst bird flu outbreak ever with more than 200 cases confirmed in the past 12 months. Bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for consumers, but can occasionally make people sick. Measures mean that farmers who breed turkeys, geese, or ducks for their meat will have the option to slaughter flocks early and freeze these products, which can then be defrosted and sold to the public. In the EU, defrosted previously-frozen poultry meat, including turkey, is not allowed for sale. In England and Wales, products should be labeled as defrosted and are suitable for home freezing if it says so on the label. The temporary change applies from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31, 2022, and does not cover chicken. Narriman Looch, head of foodborne disease control at the FSA, said the ...
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