The aim of this guideline is to provide assistance to producers of poultry covered under Category 2 of the Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 8.

Category 2 is defined as chilled or frozen raw poultry meat without any additional ingredients. The poultry can be whole carcasses or boneless portions; muscle meat or organs (e.g. liver); or components (e.g. skin); and it can be size-reduced (e.g. minced, ground or diced) or mechanically deboned.

The guideline does not specifically offer guidance for products under Category 3, ‘raw prepared products’, which covers the further processing of raw meat (such as marinating and curing, for example). Essentially, if there are any added ingredients (e.g. salt, spices) or further processes involved (e.g. heating, curing or smoking), then these products fall outside Category 2.

This guideline is aimed at producers of meat from farmed chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese, which together form the largest part of the poultry sector. Although much of the guidance will be applicable to other species, the guidance has not been written to cover these species. Any site slaughtering or processing different or exotic species will need to consider the risks specific to the birds involved, such as the use of veterinary medicines for that species.

The operations covered may be any, or a combination of, the following:

- slaughter and dress – sold as carcasses, halves or quarters

- butchery to produce portions – diced or cubed, minced or ground, mechanically deboned or recovered.

Use of BRCGS intellectual property

Information on how you can use BRCGS Standards, guidance and published content can be found here. You can also find a list of answers to common questions on how BRCGS content can be used here.