U.S. MEAT PROCESSORS ASK FOR LABELLING CHANGE

  Four U.S. meat processors have asked
  the federal government to relax a labelling requirement which
  they said discourages the use of mechanically separated meat,
  the U.S. Agriculture Department said.
      The petition, filed by Bob Evans Farms, Odom Sausage Co,
  Sara Lee Corp and Owens Country Sausage, asks USDA to allow
  mechanically separated meat to be listed on product labels as
  the species from which it was derived.
      For example, "pork" would be listed on the ingredients
  statement instead of "mechanically separated pork."
      Under the petition, the calcium content of the meat product
  would have to be stated on the label and the mechanically
  separated meat could constitute no more than 10 pct of the meat
  and poultry portion of the product.
      Mechanically separated meat is a high-protein, low-cost
  product that has been approved for use since 1978, USDA said.
      Current regulations allow use of mechanically separated
  ingredients at levels up to 20 pct of the meat and poultry
  product, but require it to be listed in the ingredient
  statement as "mechanically separated (species)," USDA said.
      USDA said the petitioning firms claimed companies avoid
  using mechanically separated meat in their products because the
  term carries an "unwarranted negative connotation" in the minds
  of many consumers. The petitioners also noted that no similar
  regulation exists for poultry products.
      Mechanically separated meat is made by placing carcass
  parts, which usually have been hand-trimmed but still have some
  remaining meat, into specialized processing equipment.
  

