L3: Meat and Meat Products Legislation: Quick Review

Meat and Meat Products Legislation and Characteristics

Legislation

  • Regulation (EC) 852/2004: General hygiene rules, GMP, HACCP.

    • FBO Obligations: Compliance with microbiological criteria, HACCP, temperature control (3 ext{ extdegree C} for offal, 7 ext{ extdegree C} for fresh meat), cold chain maintenance, sampling and analysis.

  • Regulation (EC) 853/2004: Specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin.

  • Regulation (EC) 2073/2005: Microbiological criteria for food of animal origin.

Internal Organisation of Muscle Fibre

  • Thick filaments: Composed of myosin heavy chains (MyHCs) and myosin light chains (MLCs).

  • Thin filaments: Composed of ext{ } ext{ extalpha} ext{-actin} , troponin, and tropomyosin.

  • Sarcomere: One unit of repeating pattern of thick and thin filaments.

  • Z-lines: Distance between two sarcomeres.

External Organisation of Muscle Fibre

  • Endomycium: Collagenous connective tissue surrounding each fibre.

  • Perimycium, Epimycium: Increasing tiers of connective tissues.

  • Collagen amount increases with age, contributing to tougher meat.

  • Adipose tissues (marbling fat): Found between fibres, contributes significantly to meat quality.

Definitions (Regulation 853/2004)

  • Meat: Edible parts of animals, including blood.

  • Domestic ungulates: Domestic bovine, porcine, ovine, caprine, and solipeds.

  • Poultry: Farmed birds, excluding ratites.

  • Lagomorphs: Rabbits, hares, rodents.

  • Wild game: Wild ungulates, lagomorphs, and other hunted land mammals/birds.

    • Small wild game: Wild game birds and lagomorphs.

    • Large wild game: Wild land mammals not classified as small wild game.

    • Farmed game: Farmed ratites and land mammals other than domestic ungulates.

  • Fresh meat: Meat preserved only by chilling, freezing, or quick-freezing; includes vacuum-wrapped or controlled atmosphere packaging.

  • Carcase: Animal body after slaughter and dressing.

  • Offal: Fresh meat other than carcase meat, including viscera and blood.

  • Viscera: Organs of thoracic, abdominal, pelvic cavities, trachea, esophagus, and crop (in birds).

  • Mechanically Separated Meat (MSM): Product from removing meat from flesh-bearing bones using mechanical means, resulting in loss or modification of muscle fibre structure.

  • Minced meat: Boned meat minced into fragments, containing less than 1 ext{ %} salt.

  • Meat preparations: Fresh meat with added foodstuffs, seasonings, or additives, or meat that has undergone processes insufficient to modify internal muscle fibre structure.

Establishment Definitions (Regulation 853/2004)

  • Slaughterhouse: Used for slaughtering and dressing animals for human consumption.

  • Cutting plant: Used for boning and/or cutting up meat.

  • Game-handling establishment: Prepares game and game meat for market.

Storage and Transport (Regulations 852/2004 & 853/2004)

  • General: Containers/vehicles to be clean, maintained, protect foodstuffs from contamination, and allow cleaning/disinfection.

  • Bulk foodstuffs (liquid, granulate, powder) to be transported in dedicated, clearly marked containers