FSS-2025-020 Online Guidance on Charcuterie Safety

Technical content and assessment aspects of a new online safety tool. FSS is the public sector body responsible for ensuring food safety in Scotland, and producing guidance to support businesses to produce safe food is a core activity of the organisation.

Businesses producing ready-to-eat (RTE) foods can experience problems in controlling microbiological risks, potentially leading to outbreaks and product recalls. The RTE foods most commonly contaminated with pathogenic bacteria are fresh produce (including salads and leafy greens), cooked sliced meats (cold cuts, charcuterie), soft cheeses and smoked fish.

Recognising the higher risk of ready-to-eat foods, and the particular challenges faced by some types of RTE foods, FSS previously produced two online risk assessment tools to help businesses in Scotland to evaluate their processes and to promote best practice. The Safe Smoked Fish and Fresh Produce tools were well received by industry, and FSS received positive feedback for the provision of guidance in this interactive online format.

The tools contain relevant scientific evidence and legal requirements to help FBOs assess their practices and provide clear and objective advice to reduce the risk of microbiological contamination of their product. FSS now wish to produce a new online risk assessment tool focused on the safe production and processing of meat charcuterie products (i.e. deli meats/cold cuts etc).

This new tool will be of similar structure to the existing tools, containing an interactive risk assessment function to allow FBOs to review their practices, alongside useful resources, in an easy-to-use format. In contrast to the existing tools, this one will consider relevant chemical as well as microbiological hazards because these types of products often use chemical agents as part of their production. FSS require a Supplier to produce the technical content and assessment aspects of the tool.