Strengthening meat production food safety teaching through a Virtual Slaughterhouse Simulator (VSS)

Abstract

Practical training is crucial to the understanding of how slaughterhouses function and how food safety, animal health and welfare risks are recognized and controlled. Restricted access to slaughterhouses due to biosecurity reasons limits the possibility of on-site experience for students. The COVID-19 pandemic increased these restrictions. The University of Edinburgh developed a Virtual Slaughterhouse Simulator (VSS) to provide veterinary students with insights into the slaughterhouse environment and problem solving necessary to perform specific official control tasks. New versions of the virtual slaughterhouse simulator are planned for other production animals (pig and poultry) and could be further developed for additional species. This document was developed within the framework of the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia and University of Helsinki collaboration on “Call for collecting good practices in improving food safety management”, launched in June 2022. This call aimed to empower organizations to showcase innovative solutions and good practices to improve specific aspects of food safety management in Europe and Central Asia. It facilitates experience sharing and co-learning amongst the Member countries in the region. Five good practices were identified under three categories: i) Measuring effectiveness of food control; ii) Solutions to support small-scale producers to comply with food safety requirements; iii) Use of digital solutions to improve food safety management.