The Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand gives notice of the making of this standard under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991.

The Standard commences on 1 March 2016.

Dated 25 March 2015

Standards Management Officer, Delegate of the Board of Food Standards Australia New Zealand.

Note 1 This instrument is a standard under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). The standards together make up the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. See also section 1.1.1—3.

Note 2 The provisions of the Code that apply in New Zealand are incorporated in, or adopted under, the Food Act 2014 (NZ). See also section 1.1.1—3.

Division 1 Preliminary

2.2.1—1 Name as an ingredient or a component

This Standard is Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 2.2.1 – Meat and meat products.

Note Commencement: This Standard commences on 1 March 2016, being the date specified as the commencement date in notices in the Gazette and the New Zealand Gazette under section 92 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (Cth). See also section 93 of that Act.

2.2.1—2 Definitions

Note In this Code (see section 1.1.2—3):

cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces includes any attached bone.

dried meat means meat that has been dried but does not include slow cured dried meat.

manufactured meat means processed meat containing no less than 660 g/kg of meat.

meat:

(a) means the whole or part of the carcass of any of the following animals, if slaughtered other than in a wild state:

(i) buffalo, camel, cattle, deer, goat, hare, pig, poultry, rabbit or sheep;

(ii) any other animal permitted for human consumption under a law of a State, Territory or New Zealand; and

(b) does not include:

(i) fish; or

(ii) avian eggs; or

(iii) foetuses or part of foetuses.

meat flesh means meat that consists of skeletal muscle and any attached:

(a) animal rind; or

(b) fat; or

(c) connective tissue; or

(d) nerve; or

(e) blood; or

(f) blood vessels; or

(g) skin, in the case of poultry.

meat pie means a pie containing no less than 250 g/kg of meat flesh.

offal includes blood, brain, heart, kidney, liver, pancreas, spleen, thymus, tongue and tripe, and excludes meat flesh, bone and bone marrow.

processed meat means a food which has, either singly or in combination with other foods, undergone a method of processing other than boning, slicing, dicing, mincing or freezing.

sausage means a food that:

(a) consists of meat that has been minced, meat that has been comminuted, or a mixture of both, whether or not mixed with other foods, and which has been encased or formed into discrete units; and

(b) does not include meat formed or joined into the semblance of cuts of meat.

Division 2 Requirements for sale

2.2.1—3 Requirement for food sold as sausage

A food that is sold as sausage must be sausage and:

(a) contain no less than 500 g/kg of fat free meat flesh; and

(b) have a proportion of fat that is no more than 500 g/kg of the fat free meat flesh content.

2.2.1—4 Requirement for food sold as meat pie

A food that is sold as a meat pie must be a meat pie.

2.2.1—5 Requirements for food sold as dried meat or cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces, manufactured meat or processed meat

(1) A food that is sold as a dried meat must be dried to a water activity of no more than 0.85.

(2) A food that is sold as cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces must contain not less than 160 g/kg of meat protein on a fat free basis.

(3) A food that is sold as manufactured meat must contain not less than 660 g/kg of meat.

(4) A food that is sold as processed meat must contain not less than 300 g/kg of meat.

Division 3 Information requirements

2.2.1—6 Statement indicating the presence of offal

For the labelling provisions:

(a) brain, heart, kidney, liver, tongue or tripe must be identified as:

(i) offal; or

(ii) by the specific name of the type of offal; and

(b) any other type of offal must be identified by the specific name of the type of offal.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

2.2.1—7 Proportion of fat in minced meat

For the labelling provisions, a statement of the maximum proportion of fat in minced meat, in g/100 g, is required if a claim is made in relation to the fat content of minced meat.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

2.2.1—8 Information about raw meat joined or formed into the semblance of a cut of meat

For the labelling provisions, for a food that consists of raw meat that has been formed or joined in the semblance of a cut of meat, whether coated or not, using a binding system without the application of heat, the following information is required:

(a) a declaration that the food consists of meat that is formed or joined; and

(b) in conjunction with that information, cooking instructions that would result in microbiological safety of the food being achieved.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

2.2.1—9 Labelling of fermented comminuted processed meat

(1) The *prescribed name for fermented comminuted processed meat is:

(a) if the meat has not been heat treated or cooked—‘fermented processed meat – not heat treated’; and

(b) if the meat has been heat treated—‘fermented processed meat – heat treated’; and

(c) if the meat has been cooked—‘fermented processed meat – cooked’.

(2) For the labelling provisions, if the label on a package containing fermented comminuted processed meat contains a trade name, the following words are required to be included on the label in association with the trade name:

(a) if the meat has not been heat treated or cooked—‘fermented’;

(b) if the meat has been heat treated—‘fermented heat treated’;

(c) if the meat has been cooked—‘fermented cooked’.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

(3) The labelling may refer to a heating process only if:

(a) the reference is included for compliance with this section; or

(b) the heating process is a cooking instruction for the consumer.

2.2.1—10 Labelling of fermented comminuted manufactured meat

(1) The *prescribed name for fermented comminuted manufactured meat is:

(a) if the meat is not heat treated or cooked—‘fermented manufactured meat – not heat treated’; and

(b) if the meat has been heat treated—‘fermented manufactured meat – heat treated’; and

(c) if the meat has been cooked—‘fermented manufactured meat – cooked’.

(2) For the labelling provisions, if the label on a package containing fermented comminuted manufactured meat contains a trade name, the following words are required to be included in association with the trade name:

(a) if the meat has not been heat treated or cooked—‘fermented’;

(b) if the meat has been heat treated—‘fermented heat treated’;

(c) if the meat has been cooked—‘fermented cooked’.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

(3) The labelling may refer to a heating process only if:

(a) the reference is included for compliance with this section; or

(b) the heating process is a cooking instruction for the consumer.

2.2.1—11 Fermented comminuted meat—unpackaged

(1) This section applies to fermented comminuted meat that is not required to *bear a label because it is not in a package.

Note See subsections 1.2.1—6(4) and 1.2.1—9(4)).

(2) For the labelling provisions, despite paragraphs 2.2.1—9(1)(a) and 2.2.1—10(1)(a), the words ‘not heat treated’ need not be displayed.

Note The labelling provisions are set out in Standard 1.2.1.

Division 4 Sourcing requirements

2.2.1—12 Bovine must be free from bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Note This section applies in Australia only.

(1) Bovine meat, and ingredients derived from bovines, must be derived from animals free from bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to:

(a) collagen from bovine skins and hides (including sausage casings produced from this type of collagen); or

(b) bovine fat or bovine tallow that:

(i) is an ingredient of a food; and

(ii) comprises no more than 300 g/kg of the food; or

(c) gelatine sourced from bovine skins or hides; or

(d) dairy products sourced from bovines.