Purpose
This Standard includes definitions, compositional requirements and
labelling requirements for meat and meat products. Processing requirements for
processed meat products, including fermented comminuted meat products are
contained in Standard 1.6.2.
The Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New
Zealand (ARMCANZ) prescribe mandatory standards in Australia, but not New
Zealand, that control the hygienic slaughter of animals for human
consumption.
Table of Provisions
Division 1 – Interpretation
1 Interpretation
Division 2 – Compositional requirements
2 Deleted
3 Composition of sausage
Division 3 – Information Requirements
4 Declaration of the presence of offal in food
5 Mandatory fat declaration where a reference is made to the
fat content of minced meat
6 Information required in relation to raw meat joined or formed
into the semblance of a cut of meat
7 Deleted
8 Labelling of fermented comminuted processed meat
9 Labelling of fermented comminuted manufactured meat
10 Unpackaged fermented comminuted manufactured meat and
fermented comminuted processed meat products
11 Meat and meat products must be derived from cattle free from
bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Clauses
Division 1 – Interpretation
1 Interpretation
In this Code –
cured and/or dried meat flesh in whole cuts or piecesmeans meat
flesh including any attached bone containing no less than 160 g/kg meat protein
on a fat free basis.
manufactured meatmeans processed meat containing no less than 660
g/kg of meat.
meatmeans the whole or part of the carcass of any buffalo, camel,
cattle, deer, goat, hare, pig, poultry, rabbit or sheep, slaughtered other than
in a wild state, but does not include –
(a) the whole or part of the carcass of any other animal unless
permitted for human consumption under a law of a State, Territory or New
Zealand; or
(b) avian eggs, or foetuses or part of foetuses.
meat fleshmeans the skeletal muscle of any slaughtered animal, and
any attached –
(a) animal rind; and
(b) fat; and
(c) connective tissue; and
(d) nerve; and
(e) blood; and
(f) blood vessels; and
(g) skin, in the case of poultry.
meat piemeans a pie containing no less than 250 g/kg of meat
flesh.
offalmeans those parts of the carcass such as blood, brain, heart,
kidney, liver, pancreas, spleen, thymus, tongue and tripe, but excludes meat
flesh, bone and bone marrow.
processed meatmeans a meat product containing no less than 300 g/kg
meat, where meat either singly or in combination with other ingredients or
additives, has undergone a method of processing other than boning, slicing,
dicing, mincing or freezing, and includes manufactured meat and cured and/or
dried meat flesh in whole cuts or pieces.
sausagemeans meat that is minced, or comminuted meat or a
combination thereof, which may be combined with other foods, encased or formed
into discrete units, but does not include meat formed or joined into the
semblance of cuts of meat.
Division 2 – Compositional requirements
2 Deleted
3 Composition of sausage
Sausage must contain –
(a) no less than 500g/kg of fat free meat flesh; and
(b) the proportion of fat in sausage must be no more than 500g/kg
of the fat free meat flesh content.
Division 3 – Information Requirements
4 Declaration of the presence of offal in food
(1) The presence of offal in a food must be –
(a) declared in the statement of ingredients; or
(b) where the food is not required to bear a label, otherwise
declared to the purchaser.
(2) The presence of brain, heart, kidney, liver, tongue or tripe
in a food must be declared as ‘offal’ or by the specific name of the type of
offal.
(3) The presence of any other type of offal in a food must be
declared by the specific name of the type of offal.
5 Mandatory fat declaration where a reference is made to the
fat content of minced meat
Where express or implied reference is made in relation to the fat content
of minced meat, the maximum proportion of fat in the minced meat, expressed in
g/100g, must be –
(a) declared on the label on package of the food; or
(b) where the food is not required to bear a label –
(i)&nb
