Today (1st) new rules will come into effect defining identity and quality for the sale of ground beef. Among the measures, which must be implemented by establishments within a year, is the one that determines that the product is packed immediately after grinding in packages of up to one kilo.
In addition, it will not be allowed to obtain ground meat from the grinding of meat obtained from scraping bones or obtained from any other mechanical separation processes of bones.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), the decision applies to establishments and industries that produce ground beef, and does not apply to supermarkets and butchers that sell direct to the consumer.
The changes have, among their objectives, to modernize production processes and industrial procedures. The new regulation aims to guarantee the safety of products, in addition to providing more transparency to consumers.
“Meat obtained from skeletal muscle mass is a mandatory ingredient in the manufacture of minced meat. The maximum percentage of fat in the product must be informed on the main panel, next to the sales denomination”, explained the ministry.
Cooling
The same ordinance establishes that the raw material for the manufacture of the product must be “exclusively meat”, submitted to prior cooling or freezing processing. The use of industrial meat for the manufacture of minced meat and the obtaining of minced meat from the grinding of offal are prohibited.
Chilled ground beef should be kept between 0ºC and 4ºC. The maximum temperature of frozen ground beef is -12ºC.
In addition, the product cannot leave the grinding equipment at a temperature above 7ºC, and must, subsequently, be immediately subjected to cooling or rapid freezing.
