Cooked Cured Chopped Meat CODEX

Description

·       He Product Shall Be Prepared From Meat Or Poultry Meat Or A Combination Of These As Defined Below Which Has Been Cured And Which May Have Been Smoked. At Least 50% Of The Meat Used Shall Consist Of Coarsely Cut Pieces Equivalent To Meat Ground Through Holes Of Not Less Than 8 Mm In Diameter. No Piece Shall Be Greater Than 15 Mm In Any One Dimension.

·       The Product May Or May Not Contain Binders. The Heat Treatment To Which The Product Has Been Subjected And The Type Of Cure And Packaging Shall Be Sufficient To Ensure That The Product Presents No Public Health Hazard And Remains Wholesome Under The Conditions Of Storage, Transport And Sale.

Subsidiary Definitions :-

·       Edible Offal Means Such Offals As Have Been Passed As Fit For Human Consumption But Not Including Lungs, Ears, Scalp, Snout (Including Lips And Muzzle), Mucous Membrane, Sinews, Genital System, Udders, Intestines And Urinary Bladder. Edible Offal Does Not Include Poultry Skin.

·       Meat Means The Edible Part Including Edible Offal Of Any Mammal Slaughtered In An Abattoir.

·       Packaged Means Packed In A Container Manufactured Of Materials Which Do Not Permit Contamination Under Normal Conditions Of Handling.

·       Poultry Meat Means The Edible Part Of Any Domesticated Birds Including Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks, Geese, Guinea-Fowls Or Pigeons Slaughtered In An Abattoir.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

Essential Ingredients :-

·       Meat Or Poultry Meat Or A Combination Of These Excluding Edible Offal;

·       Water

·       Curing Ingredients Consisting Of Food-Grade Salt And Potassium Or Sodium Nitrite.

Optional Ingredients :-

·       Edible Offal, Fat Per Se, Cured And Uncured Pork Rind Per Se, Poultry Meat;

·       Carbohydrate And Protein Binders Such As:

·       Meal, Flour Or Starch Prepared From Grain Or Potato Or Sweet Potato;

·       Bread, Biscuit Or Bakery Products;

·       Milk Powder, Skimmed Milk Powder, Butter Milk Powder, Caseinate, Whey Powder, Egg Protein, Dried Blood Products, Vegetable Protein Products;

·       Sucrose, Invert Sugar, Dextrose (Glucose), Lactose, Maltose, Glucose Syrup (Including Corn Syrup);

·       Spices, Seasonings And Condiments;

·       Water Soluble, Aromatic Hydrolyzed Protein.

Composition :-

·       Minimum Ingoing Meat Content – 80%2  (Product With Binder ) – 90% (Product Without Binder And Edible Offal (But May Include Heart, Tongue Or Heat Meat From Mammals) ) 

·       Maximum Fat Content – 35%  (Product With Binder ) – 25%  (Product Without Binder And Edible Offal (But May Include Heart, Tongue Or Heat Meat From Mammals) ) 

·       Raw Material :- The Ingredients From Which The Product Is Prepared Shall Be Of A Quality Suitable For Human Consumption And Free From Objectionable Odours And Flavours. 

·       Final Product :- The Product Shall Be Clean And Substantially Free From Staining And Contamination From The Container. The Meat And Poultry Meat Shall Be Uniformly And Thoroughly Cured And The Product Shall Be Capable Of Being Sliced. 

FOOD ADDITIVES

·       Preservatives, Humectants And Colours Used In Accordance With Tables 1 And 2 Of The General Standard For Food Additives (CXS 192-1995) In Food Category 08.3.2 “Heat-Treated Processed Comminuted Meat, Poultry, And Game Products” And Its Parent Food Categories Are Acceptable For Use In Foods Conforming To This Standard. Only Certain Table 3 Food Additives (As Indicated In Table 3) Are Acceptable For Use In Foods Conforming To This Standard. Use Of Flavouring Substances Should Be Consistent With The Guidelines For The Use Of Flavourings (CXG 662008)

CONTAMINANTS

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Levels Of The General Standard For Contaminants And Toxins In Food And Feed (CXS 193-1995). The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Residue Limits For Pesticides And/Or Veterinary Drugs Established By The Codex Alimentarius Commission.

HYGIENE

·       It Is Recommended That The Products Covered By The Provisions Of This Standard Be Prepared And Handled In Accordance With The Appropriate Sections Of The General Principles Of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), The Code Of Hygienic Practice For Meat (CXC 58-2005), The Code Of Hygienic Practice For Low-Acid And Acidified Low-Acid Canned Foods (CXC 23-1979), The Guidelines On The Application Of General Principles Of Food Hygiene To The Control Of Listeria Monocytogenes In Ready-To-Eat Foods (CXG 61-2007) And Other Relevant Codex Texts Such As Codes Of Hygienic Practice And Codes Of Practice. The Products Should Comply With Any Microbiological Criteria Established In Accordance With The Principles And Guidelines For The Establishment And Application Of Microbiological Criteria Related To Foods (CXG 21-1997).

LABELLING

·       The Provisions Of The General Standard For The Labelling Of Prepackaged Foods (CXS 1-1985), Shall Apply:

·       The Name Of The Food :- The Name Of The Food To Be Declared On The Label Shall Be “Chopped Meat” Except That The Word “Meat” May Be Replaced By A Word Describing The Kind Of Meat Used, Or Where More Than One Kind Of Meat Has Been Used, By The Names In Descending Order Of Proportion, E.G. “Chopped Pork”, “Chopped Pork And Beef”. A Declaration Of The Presence Of Binders And Of Edible Offal And A Declaration Indicating The Species Of Animal From Which The Meat, Poultry Meat Or A Combination Of These Is Derived, Shall Be Given In Connection With The Name Of The Product If Their Omission Would Mislead The Consumer. 

·       List Of Ingredients :- The List Of Ingredients Shall Indicate The Species Of Animals From Which The Meat, Poultry Meat Or A Combination Of These Is Derived. 

·       Date Marking And Storage Instructions :- For Shelf-Stable Products The Date Of Minimum Durability Shall Be Declared By The Year. For Products Which Are Not Shelf-Stable, I.E. Which May Be Expected Not To Keep For At Least 18 Months In Normal Conditions Of Storage And Sale, And Which Are Packaged In A Container Ready For Offer To The Consumer Or For Catering Purposes, The Date Of Minimum Durability Shall Be Declared By Day, Month And Year. For Products Which Are Not Shelf-Stable And Which Are Packaged In Containers Not Sold Directly To The Consumer Or For Catering Purposes, Adequate Storage And Distribution Instructions Shall Be Declared. 

·       Labelling Of Non-Retail Containers :- Information As Appropriate Needed For Labelling Of Retail Containers Is Given Either On The Non-Retail Container Or In Accompanying Documents Except That The Name Of The Food, Date Marking And Storage Instructions, Lot Identification And The Name And Address Of The Manufacturer Or Packer Shall Appear On The Non-Retail Container. However, Lot Identification, And The Name And Address Of The Manufacturer Or Packer, May Be Replaced By An Identification Mark Provided That Such Mark Is Clearly Identifiable With The Accompanying Documents. 

METHODS OF ANALYSIS

·       For Checking The Compliance With This Standard, The Methods Of Analysis And Sampling Contained In The Recommended Methods Of Analysis And Sampling (CXS 234-1999) Relevant To The Provisions In This Standard Shall Be Used.