To which category does filet americain belong?

Introduction filet americain

The discussion about the status of filet americain is very old and also in the technical committee of the Association for the Dutch Meat Industry this discussion has been held. Here, everyone is convinced that filet americain is a meat product based on the definition in the Regulation (EC) 853/2004. A meat product has a storage temperature that you determine, but < 7 ° C.

Background Information filet americain

Regulation 853/2004

Annex I of this Regulation (EC) 853/2004 states the following:

1.15. Meat preparations: fresh meat, including meat that has been chopped into small pieces, to which foodstuffs, seasonings or additives have been added or which has undergone processing that is not sufficient to alter the internal muscle tissue structure of the meat and thereby removing the characteristics of fresh meat.

7.1. Meat products: processed products obtained by processing meat or by further processing of such processed products, so that it can be observed on the cut surface that the characteristics of fresh have disappeared.

And with filet americain, the characteristics of fresh meat are gone. So it is not a meat preparation, therfore it is a meat product.

Verordening 2073/2005

En dit valt in de Verordening (EG) 2073/2005 onder Bijlage I punt 1.2 (Listeria) en 1.8 (Salmonella). En op basis van een risicoanalyse zou dit onderzoek niet nodig zijn. En doe je wel een onderzoek bepaal je zelf de frequentie.

Wat betreft de voorgeschreven bewaartemperatuur is het eigenlijk hetzelfde verhaal. Een vleesbereiding moet volgens de Verordening 853/2005 Sectie V Hoofdstuk III lid 2 c i bewaard worden bij een temperatuur van < 4° C. Een vleesproduct heeft een bewaartemperatuur die je zelf bepaalt, maar wel < 7° C. En zoals boven al aangegeven is filet americain een vleesproduct.

Article 15

However, Article 15 of the Commodities Act Decree on the Preparation and Handling of Foodstuffs does apply:

Food or drink or raw materials

1. Eet- of drinkwaren of grondstoffen, welke gekoeld moeten worden bewaard teneinde microbiologisch bederf of de uitgroei van pathogene bacteriën tegen te gaan, moeten:

a. in the case of prepackaged food or drink or raw materials, are transported or kept in stock in such a way that the temperature of the product is no higher than the temperature indicated by the preparer; or,
b. to the extent that no special storage temperature is specified by the preparer on the prepackage or the commodity is not prepackaged, be transported or stocked in such a manner that the temperature of the commodity does not exceed 7°C;

except where, pursuant to subsection 6 or 7, or by a regulation of a (principal product or trade association already in force at the time this Decree takes effect, rules have been adopted prescribing a different temperature.

Packaging of the first degree

2. If on the packaging of a food or beverage referred to in the first paragraph:

a. a storage instruction states that the product must be stored between 0°C and 6°C; or
b. a shelf life of less than 5 days is stated;

Article 17 of the Commodities Act Decree on Labelling of Foodstuffs (Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 1992, 14) applies.

If the second degree applies, it should say “use by” instead of “best before”.