Survey on the Labelling of Sausages 2005

Directive 2001/101/EC introduced a revised definition of meat, which was implemented through an amendment to the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. Prepacked meat products have been required to be labelled with Quid declarations of their meat ingredients based on that new definition, since July 1st 2003.

The Meat Products (England) Regulations 2003 came into force in England on 2nd September 2003. These regulations repealed The Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products Regulations 1984 insofar as they extended to England, and retain a more limited range of reserved descriptions (for meat products only). Parallel Regulations for Northern Ireland and Wales came into force on 31st May 2004, with a transitional period that expired at the end of July 2004.

Such standards as have been retained have been adjusted downwards in comparison to those formerly set by the 84 Regulations. The intention of the legal draftsmen was to ensure that the minimum fat free meat content required for products matched that formerly required. A reduction in required total meat content then followed as a consequence of the limits introduced for the amounts of connective tissue and fat attributable to the meat content, by the revised definition of meat. These Regulations include an amendment to The Food Labelling Regulations 1996, which requires non-pre-packed meat products to be labelled with a Quid declaration of meat content.

The survey was intended to assess both the level of compliance with the new labelling requirements and the accuracy of Quid declarations made for meat content, based on the new definition of meat. It mirrored the 2003 Labelling of Sausages survey in which many of our English local authorities participated. This enabled any decline in the meat content of branded sausages as a result of the introduction of the revised compositional standards to be highlighted.

Submitting samples of sausages as part of the survey gave sampling officers an opportunity to remind traders of the implications of the changes. In addition, the Eurofins meat content calculator was used to check recipe information received with samples against the determined analytical meat content.

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