Meat inspection for Trichinella in pork, horsemeat and game within EU: available technology and its present implementation

A new EU directive relating to meat inspection for Trichinella, expected to come into force in 2006, imposes important modifications to current legislation. Nevertheless, several issues need more attention. Optimisation of methods, especially concerning sensitivity and digestibility of the meat to be inspected, along with further simplification of the legislation with regard to the number of techniques accepted, is recommended to guarantee that all member states of the EU will be given tools to perform inspection of consumer meat at the same high level. Additionally, there is a need for guidelines and protocols regarding optimal proficiency testing procedures.This paper presents an overview of the current methods for Trichinella meat inspection and their implementation in the EU, listing advantages and disadvantages for each method, including some suggestions for specific points of improvement.