La. Admin. Code tit. 49 § I-921

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section I-921 - Product Definitions and Standards [Formerly 49:3.0403]

A. Meat. The edible part of the muscle of cattle, sheep, swine, or goats which is skeletal or which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus, with or without the accompanying and overlying fat, and the portions of bone, skin sinew, nerve, and blood vessels which normally accompany the muscle tissue, and which are not separated from it in the process of dressing. It does not include the muscle found in the lips, snout or ears.

B. Meat By-Product. Any edible part other than meat which has been derived from one or more cattle, sheep, swine, or goats.

C. Meat Product or Meat Food Product. Any article of food, or any article intended for or capable of being used as human food which is derived or prepared, in whole or in substantial and definite part, from any portion of any cattle, sheep, swine, or goat, except such articles as organotherapeutic substances, meat juice, meat extract, and the like, which are only for medicinal purposes, and are advertised only to the medical profession.

D. The product titled hamburger shall be comprised of wholesome comminuted or ground beef, containing not more than 30 percent beef fat by weight, with or without seasoning (properly labeled). With proper labeling declaration, optional ingredients are monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, seasonings, spices ascorbic acid, sodium asorbate, erythorbic acid, sodium erythorbate, any other acceptable food additive approved by the department and added water not to exceed 1 percent. No added coloring shall be permitted.

E. Ground Meat. The product titled ground meat shall consist of wholesome comminuted or ground meat from beef, veal, swine, sheep, or goat, individually or collectively, in any combination whatsoever, provided that each specie shall be listed in the ingredient statement in correct order of descending predominance. When consisting of one specie only the product shall be titled ground beef, ground pork, or whatever the case might be. Ground meat shall contain not more than 30 percent meat fat by weight, unless said product is comprised wholly of pork meat, in which case the maximum allowable fat content shall be 50 percent. No added coloring or water shall be perm fitted.

F. Pork Sausage is the sausage product prepared from wholesome pork meat, comprising not more than 50 percent pork fat and not more than 3 percent added water. With proper labeling declaration, optional ingredients permitted are monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, seasonings, spices, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, erythorbic acid, sodium erythorbate, water or any other additives approved by the department. The use of coloring is prohibited.

G Specially Meat Products, including patties and products which have been subjected to a particular processing operation such as chopping, grinding, or comminution, such as steaks, chops, steakettes and choppettes, which names in natural form indicate a solid piece of meat, must bear a title descriptive of the product reflecting the processing to which it has been subjected, e.g. chopped veal steaks; or must bear a statement of fact contiguous to the name of the product, such as "chopped, formed and frozen." With proper labeling declaration, optional ingredients permitted are monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, seasonings, spices, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, erythorbic acid, sodium erythorbate, or any other additives approved by the department. No added coloring shall be permitted. Further, if extenders or binders, such as cereal, vegetable starch, vegetable flour, soya flour, nonfat dry milk, soya protein concentrate or any other similar product approved by the department are added to the product, the individual and collective amount shall not exceed 3.5 percent, and a statement of fact, such as, "cereal added" or "dry skim milk added," or whichever the case may be, shall appear immediately below and contiguous to the tile in letters of not less than one-half the size of the title, in addition to appropriate inclusion of said ingredients in the ingredient statement. Added water shall not exceed 1 percent.

H. Products titled "liver loaf", "liver paste", "liver cheese", "liver pudding", "liver spread" and the like shall contain not less than 30 percent of liver computed on the weight of fresh liver.

I. The preparation of cooked cured products such as hams, pork shoulders, pork shoulder picnics, pork shoulder butts, and pork loins, either by moist or dry heat, shall not result in the finished cooked articles weighing more than the fresh uncured product; that is, the weight of the finished cooked article plus the weight of the skin, bones, fat, and trimmings removed during the preparations shall not exceed the weight of the fresh uncured product. Such product, under appropriate labeling declaration, may contain up to 10 percent added water in which case the statement "water added" shall appear immediately below and contiguous to the title in type of not less than one-half the size of that used for the title. Products containing added water in excess of 10 percent shall be titled "imitation" and the word "imitation" shall appear immediately before and in type of the same size, style, and prominence as the name of the product being imitated.

J. Formulation and labeling of specialty meat products, such as boudin, shall be approved as provided is §944

K.

1. Fish Sausage or Crayfish Sausage is the sausage product prepared from wholesome, edible fish or crayfish species, comprising not more than 50 percent beef or pork suet and not more than three percent added water. Edible fish species are any species of fish that are considered to be edible and non-toxic to humans by demonstrable, scientific facts or scientific opinion. With proper labeling declaration, optional ingredients permitted are monosodium glutamate, salt, sugar, seasonings, spices, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, erythorbic acid and sodium erythorbate. Fish sausage or crayfish sausage may be colored with a coloring agent approved by the Department of Health and Hospitals/OPH, Food and Drug Unit specifically for that purpose.

2. Fresh fish and crayfish received shall be inspected and adequately washed before processing. Only sound, wholesome fish and crayfish, free from adulteration and organolepticlly detectable spoilage, shall be processed.

3. The name of the product described in Subsection K above shall be "fish sausage" or "crayfish sausage" and all fish sausage and crayfish sausage shall be labeled as such.

L.

1. "Nutria" or "nutria meat" is the edible part of the muscle of the nutria which is skeletal and shall not include muscle that is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart, or in the esophagus, with or without accompanying and overlying fat, and the portions of bone, skin sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the muscle tissue and which are not separated from it in the process of dressing.

2. "Nutria meat product" is any article of food, or any article intended or capable of being used as food which is derived or prepared, in whole or in substantial definite part, from the skeletal muscle of nutria.

3. "Nutria sausage" is the coarse of finely comminuted meat food production prepared from nutria meat in combination with one or more kinds of meat or meat and meat by-products, containing various amounts of water and usually seasoned with condimental substances, and frequently cured. Nutria sausage shall contain greater than 50 percent nutria meat in combination with other meat or meat and meat by-products. To facilitate chopping or mixing or to dissolve the usual curing ingredients, water or ice may be used in the preparation of nutria sausage which is not cooked in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients of the formula.

a. "Uncooked, smoked nutria sausage" is nutria sausage that is smoked with hardwood or other approved nonresinous materials. Smoked nutria sausage shall contain greater than 50 percent nutria meat in combination with beef, pork or poultry meat or beef, pork, or poultry meat by-products. To facilitate chopping or mixing, water, or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients used. Nutria, beef, pork and poultry meat ingredients as well as all other ingredients shall be designated in the ingredient statement on the label of such sausage as required by §245 of the food regulations.

b. "Cooked nutria sausage" is nutria frankfurter nutria frank, nutria further, nutria hot-dog, nutria wiener and similar products which are comminuted, semisolid sausages prepared from raw skeletal nutria muscle meat alone or in combination with beef meat, pork meat, or poultry meat and seasoned and cured, using one or more of the curing agents in accordance with 9 CFR 318 .7(c) . They may or may not be smoked. The finished products shall contain not less than 50 percent nutria meat and not more than 30 percent fat. These sausage products may contain only phosphates approved under 9 CFR 318. Such products may contain raw or cooked poultry meat not in excess of 15 percent of the total ingredients, excluding water, in the sausage, and mechanically separated (species) used in accordance with 9 CFR 319.6. Nutria, beef, pork and poultry meat ingredients as well as all other ingredients shall be designated in the ingredient statement on the label of such sausage as required by 49:2.0220 of the food regulations.

La. Admin. Code tit. 49, § I-921

Adopted by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Preventive and Public Health Services, September 1968, amended LR 10:1035 (December 1984), amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Public Health, LR 22:29 (January 1996).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, Title 40, as amended.