Policymakers should ditch outdated rituals and embrace modern science, as traditional meat inspection is little more than “a fig leaf and a costly, century-old performance that does almost nothing to protect public health.”
That’s the view of AIMS executive director Dr Jason Aldiss, who added that “traditional post-mortem inspection is scientifically obsolete” and “it’s time to stop pretending otherwise.”
Developed in the era of tuberculosis and trichinella, these methods may have had their place in the 19th century, Aldiss argued in an outspoken commentary on the practice. “Nowadays we are fighting invisible threats: Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter – pathogens that leave no visible trace and cannot be detected by even the most skilled inspector using sight, touch, or smell alone,” he added.
“International bodies such as Codex Alimentarius, EFSA, and WOAH (formerly OIE) all acknowledge this reality”.
Aldiss noted that Codex explicitly calls for risk-based, science-led approaches, while WOAH has repeatedly stated that traditional inspection does not address modern public health hazards.
EFSA has concluded that these practices not only fail to detect key microbial threats, but they can actually make things worse by spreading contamination. “And yet here we are in the UK, still spending millions on antiquated inspection methods because the rules haven’t caught up with the science,” said Aldiss.
“That’s not good enough. The UK should be leading on food safety reform as this is a key part of this country’s meat proposition of being the best in the world”.
‘Hygiene theatrics’
In New Zealand, plants are already using Veritide’s faecal detection technology, he said. “This is real-time fluorescence-based scanning that detects both visible and invisible contamination.
“Unlike humans, it doesn’t get tired, doesn’t miss things, nor does it need a break or threaten to take strike action. And what’s more, it provides data that you can act on. In side-by-side comparisons, these systems outperform human inspectors every time. Why aren’t we using it here?
“Likewise, modern decontamination methods such as hot water washes, organic acid rinses, steam vacuuming etc can reduce microbial loads by up to 99%.
“These are real interventions with real outcomes. But they’re still viewed as optional extras instead of core public health tools. If we’re serious about food safety, this must change.
Aldiss argued that the UK is “lulling ourselves into a false sense of security” with a food safety regime that is little more than “hygiene theatrics”.
Call for change
Aldiss has called on UK regulators and policymakers to act immediately by taking five fundamental steps:
- Rewrite the rule book and replace outdated visual inspection requirements with outcome-based, risk-focused standards.
- Validate and back this with meaningful investment.
- Mandate scientifically proven decontamination interventions where appropriate.
- Retrain and repurpose the UK’s inspection workforce as high-tech auditors, not “lesion hunters”.
- Champion UK leadership in Codex and WOAH to push for global reform.
“This isn’t about deregulation. It’s about intelligent regulation and making a shift from archaic rituals to real, measurable risk control,” Aldiss said.
“It’s about protecting consumers with science, not sentimentality. The world is watching. The UK can set the standard or stay stuck in the past. Let’s be the country that chooses progress.”