How do I decode a kill number or plant licence number on UK meat packaging?
Executive summary
A kill number or plant licence number on UK meat packaging is a traceability code linking a cut of meat back to the slaughterhouse, cutting plant or the animal or group of animals from which it was derived [1] [2]. Consumers can read the label for a licence/approval number and country information, then cross-check that number against official registers or industry databases to identify the establishment responsible for slaughtering or cutting [3] [4] [5].
1. What the code actually means and where to find it
The “kill number” or traceability reference is designed to make a link between the meat in the pack and the individual animal or batch of animals, and for slaughterhouses it may be an identification number for the individual animal or group of animals while for cutting plants it may be a code relating to the animal from which the cut was derived [1]. Identification and health marks—often visible as printed or stamped marks on wrapping or packaging—demonstrate that the product was produced in an approved establishment and show the establishment’s approval/licence number alongside the country of slaughter or cutting [2] [6].
2. Legal requirements that determine what appears on the label
UK rules require pre-packed cut meat to display licence or approval numbers of the slaughterhouse and cutting plant involved, and to state the country of slaughter for each origin represented in the pack; batches may contain meat from up to three slaughterhouses or cutting plants and the licence numbers of all those establishments must be shown when relevant [3] [7] [8]. When meat is processed through more than one cutting plant, labelling must include the licence numbers of all cutting plants that handled the batch for traceability [1].
3. Practical steps to decode a number on the pack
First, locate the health/identification mark or the text “Animals in the group slaughtered in…” and the licence number on the outer packaging or carton [3] [7]. Second, use official/industry lists to match the licence or “EC plant” number to an establishment: the Food Standards Agency maintains guidance on approved establishments and how to apply for approval, and third‑party searchable databases compile the published FSA lists so a numeric plant code can be looked up to return the producer [4] [5]. Third, if a pack lacks a cutting‑plant number because cutting was done in an unlicensed premises (for example a butcher or farm shop), the address of those premises must be shown instead of a licence number [9].
4. How to interpret different types of codes and markings
Identification marks and health marks serve different traceability roles: the identification mark typically shows the last plant or facility that processed the item while the health mark is applied for raw meat to indicate the slaughterhouse and that veterinary/hygiene controls were applied [6]. A kill number on a carcase should make the individual animal identifiable, whereas a cutting‑plant code points to where the carcase was cut and packed; if the pack does not carry a kill number the batch/cutting records must retain the link between the meat and the animal and the new batch identity must appear on the label [1].
5. Limits of public decoding and where transparency gaps exist
Official materials explain what must appear on labels and that approval/licence numbers exist, but they do not publish a single consumer-facing key that maps every possible code format to plain English descriptions on the label itself [2] [10]. While FSA guidance and local authority beef labelling guides explain labelling obligations and tracing responsibilities, finding the producer name or address for a specific numeric code often relies on searching FSA lists or third‑party databases compiled from those lists [4] [5] [11]. This means consumers can usually trace a plant licence number back to an establishment, but sources available do not standardise a universal decoded label legend within the packaging for every possible code [4] [5].
6. What consumers should watch for and why it matters
Because labelling law requires country of birth/rearing/slaughter/cutting information and the licence numbers for the slaughterhouses/cutting plants involved, clear presentation on the pack allows a consumer to verify origin claims and, if necessary, trace back to the establishment that handled the product for food‑safety or provenance questions [7] [3]. Industry and regulator documents emphasise that these marks form the backbone of traceability systems—useful for recalls and for answering provenance queries—yet actually matching the numeric code to a company name often requires consulting FSA guidance or databases built from FSA registers [10] [4] [5].