Meat has traditionally been viewed as a vehicle for a significant proportion of human food-borne disease. Although the spectrum of meat-borne diseases of public health importance has changed with changing production and processing systems, continuation of the problem has been well illustrated in recent years by human surveillance studies of specific meat-borne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia enterocolitis, etc. Salmonella is a pathogen of concern in raw meat products, and E. coli O157:H7 represents a potential health hazard in beef products. Salmonella and Campylobacter are the primary pathogens of concern in poultry products.

Meat hygiene is by nature a complex activity. Hygienic slaughter and dressing operations, in con-junction with veterinary ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, are essential in minimising the risk of contaminating meat with pathogenic organisms. Irrespective of the scale and complexity of the business, there is an absolute duty on the management and staff to ensure that they produce safe food, which is suitable in every way for its intended end use.