Protecting the supply chain. Link by link.
There is a great deal of information on beef
labels. Importantly there must be information on where the beef
comes from. If you purchase Scotch Beef the code should start
with the number one. In total there are three compulsory codes
which indicate where the beef comes from.
1. The country of slaughter and license
number
All licensed Scottish Processor codes start with the number 1.
If you purchase Scotch Beef the code should start with the
number 1, as all Scotch Beef must be slaughtered in Scotland.
2. The country of origin
For example UK for United Kingdom, BR for Brazil and IRL for
Republic of Ireland.
3. The country of cutting
The number of the plant where the beef is cut must also be shown
on the label. Scotch Beef however can be packed out with
Scotland.
What information is compulsory?
The animal's country of birth, the country or countries where it
was
reared, the country of slaughter and cutting - along with the
approved license numbers. If the country of birth, rearing and
slaughter is the same, the label may simply state “country of
origin”.
Are there any exceptions?
The labeling regulations only cover fresh and frozen beef. They
do not apply to lamb, pork or venison. Most products with added
ingredients e.g. Beef Wellington, peppered steak etc, are not
covered. Also mince will only show a batch number for
identification purposes. |
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