By ,Naswiru Sekamate
Butchery owners in Uganda have been warned by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) about several unsafe practices in their establishments.
The UNBS has cautioned against using ropes to hang meat for display, having live animals in the butchery, using unapproved insecticides, and operating without proper drainage and soak pit facilities.
The Bureau also advises against transporting meat in unauthorized vessels, transporting non-meat items in meat vessels, using unapproved or unknown disinfectants, locating the butchery near refuse dumps, stables, poultry houses, or roads, and using rusty equipment. All butchery owners are encouraged to acquire the Uganda Standard, US 736: 2019 Hygienic requirements for butcheries, and ensure that their premises meet the hygiene standards. These warnings and guidelines were highlighted during a hygiene standards sensitization meeting held at the UNBS head offices in Kampala.
Rehema Meeme, a Standards Officer at UNBS, emphasised the importance of ensuring the quality and safety of meat and its products to safeguard the health and safety of Ugandan consumers.She mentioned specific issues found during recent field inspections, such as butcheries located near sewerage channels, lacking appropriate sanitary facilities, lack of inspection and approval stamps on beef carcasses. Other issues she highlighted were storage of meat for extended periods, and the use of pesticide concoctions on meat to repel flies. Meeme stressed the need for these practices to cease.
Awath Aburu, another Standards Officer at UNBS, shared the requirements of the standard with the butchery owners. He urged them to adhere strictly to general standards requirements and guidelines, including possessing occupation permits, operating in suitable premises, possessing a medical examination certificate, having a valid trading license, and having a first aid kit.
He also emphasised the importance of selling exclusively hygienic meat and meat products and using appropriate insect traps/screens.
Regarding the construction of butcheries, the standard specifies using smooth and easy-to-clean, food-grade surfaces at least 1m high, creating a separate area within the butchery for offals, and using shutter-proof or hardened translucent plastic at least 1m high. The standard also requires the use of waterproof and washable materials for walls and floors, ensuring proper lighting, ventilation, and vermin and fly-proof screens on the premises. The standard also dictates the use of stainless steel tools and equipment, keeping them clean and in proper places, and ensuring they are easy to clean.
Personal hygiene is also addressed in the standard. It stipulates that personnel should be clean and bathe regularly before handling meat, wear complete and clean personal protective gear, and only handle meat if medically fit. It also requires separating personnel handling money from those handling meat, frequent hand washing during meat handling, and storing jewelry and personal items in changing rooms. In terms of operations, the standard specifies that meat for sale should be displayed on hooks inside the butcheries, meat from different animal species should be displayed separately, non-butchery staff should not be allowed in the handling area, and wearing body perfume is prohibited. For the transportation of meat, the standard specifies that meat must be transported in clean, fly-proof, cold, and closed vessels. All vessels must have easy-to-clean and non-absorbent surfaces, and only vessels inspected and permitted by a competent authority should be used.
