Labelling of meat & meat products

Introduction

This information is a supplement to the Department's Guide to the Labelling of Packaged Food and provides information on the labelling requirements for Meat and Meat Products (Standard 2.2.1). The requirements in the Standard cover packaged and unpackaged meats (including those in unprinted edible casings) as well as sliced pre-packaged foods of this type.

Foods containing meat offal

The presence of offal in any packaged food must be declared. Certain types of offal (brain, heart, kidney, liver, tongue and tripe) can be declared either by the class name “offal” or by the specific name e.g. kidney can be referred to either as “offal” or “kidney”.

Other types of offal (such as blood, pancreas, spleen and thymus) are not permitted in meat and meat products unless labelled by their specific name (i.e. you cannot label the presence of blood as “offal” it must be labelled as “blood”).

In the case where a product is not required to bear a label (e.g. if a product is packaged in the presence of the purchaser), there is a requirement that the presence of offal must be otherwise declared to the purchaser (i.e. either by display of a sign in connection with the food or verbally).

Where reference to the fat content of minced meat is made or implied, the label must show a fat declaration expressed in g/100g. A reference includes the use of terms such as “lean” or “trim”.

Mince meat as a single ingredient food is exempt from the requirement for a nutrition information panel unless a nutrition claim is made. This required fat content declaration is not considered a nutritional claim for the purposes of the Code and does not trigger the requirement for a full nutrition information panel.

Where raw meat has been joined or formed in the semblance of a cut of meat using a binding system without the application of heat this must be declared on the label to ensure that consumers are not misled about the nature of the product. Such products must also include cooking instructions to ensure that it is safe to eat, because the risk of microbial contamination in formed meats is greater than meat that is in whole cuts and pieces. 

If the food is not required to bear a label, then the information can be provided by either displaying a sign on or in connection with the display of the food or verbally. 

The labelling requirements for fermented comminuted meats are designed to promote public health and safety by advising consumers whether the product is uncooked, heat treated, or cooked. There are a set of prescribed names which must appear on the label.  These prescribed names are listed in the table below.

Example

For packaged salami that has not been heat-treated the prescribed name “Fermented manufactured meat – not heat treated” must appear on the label of the food.

Where the label includes a trade name, then the word “Fermented” must be used in association with that trade name e.g. “MacKenzie’s Fermented Salami”. This is in addition the requirement to declare the prescribed name.

Reference for further information:
For reference a copy of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code is available from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand. A guideline to the whole of the Meat and Meat product standards (Standard 2.2.1) is also available from FSANZ.

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