United States In the United States, mechanically separated poultry has been used in poultry products since 1969, after the National Academy of Sciences found it safe. Questions about safety arose in the 1980s, leading to a 1982 report by the U.S.
Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) which concluded that mechanically separated meat is safe and established a
standard of identity. The standard of identity puts a cap on the concentration of
calcium, which indicates the presence of bone. It also limits the maximum size of bone particles, the maximum
fat content (and its
peroxidation value), and the minimum amount of
protein and
essential amino acids. Mechanically separated meat can only be used in a limited number of products (
hot dogs are allowed, but
hamburgers are not), which may contain up to 20% MSM under the 1982 rule, and must be clearly labeled. In 1995, a
U.S. Department of Agriculture-FSIS "final rule" (see 60
FR 55962, 60 FR 55982–3) established separate standards for mechanically separated poultry and other meat. Mechanically separated poultry still has calcium content and bone size limits, but no longer any limits on fat and protein levels. It is now
considered safe to use without restriction on proportion, but still needs to be labeled clearly. The rule took effect in 1996. Significant restrictions were later placed on mechanically separated beef due to concerns about
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as "mad cow disease". Ultimately, products with mechanically separated beef have been prohibited for human consumption since 2004.
European Union/United Kingdom Concerns over BSE first arose in 1986 in the
United Kingdom. Since mechanically separated beef often contained small amounts of
spinal cord tissue, which can carry the BSE
prion, consuming mechanically separated meat from bovine carcasses carried an increased risk of transmitting BSE to humans. The EU tightened restrictions multiple times starting in 1989, to decrease the risk of spinal cord tissue getting into mechanically separated bovine meat. In the mid-1990s the UK banned mechanically separated meat from cattle backbone, which was expanded to include backbone from any
ruminant in 1998 (under European Commission Decision 97/534/EC), and any ruminant bone in 2001. In 2004, under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, MSM from all ruminants was banned for human consumption. As of 1997, the European Union regulates MSM by the source material, fat (and peroxidation value), protein, and calcium content, bone particle sizes, and by how it is produced and stored. "Low pressure" MSM is produced by
advanced meat recovery (AMR) and is similar to mince meat in terms of appearance and the extent of muscle fiber damage. In a conventional high-pressure process, the meat is pressed through a sieve and the result is the typical paste. High-pressure MSM comes with more risk of
microbial growth. However, if European regulations are followed (high-pressure MSM must be immediately
frozen and can only be used in cooked products), there is no additional risk compared to conventional meat products. Low-pressure MSM corresponds to the class of AMR meat in US regulation, while high-pressure MSM corresponds to the class of MSM. == See also ==