Supporting environmental health officers in food premise inspections – A new field guide for ready-to-eat meats food safety considerations

Ready-to-eat (RTE) meats such as beef jerky, pepperoni, salami, prosciutto, bacon, ham, and smoked deli meats have been rising in popularity. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and other regulatory personnel have the responsibility to inspect and regulate small- and medium-sized food operations that may be producing these types of meat products. Many of these operators may have limited technical food safety knowledge of RTE meat products, with the responsibility of education falling on the shoulders of EHOs. This article will provide a brief overview of the new Ready-to-eat Meats Field Guide developed by the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, which discusses general food safety considerations of RTE meat production.