Regulation (EC) 853/2004 defines 'Meat preparations' as fresh meat, including meat that has been reduced to fragments, which has had foodstuffs, seasonings or additives added to it or which has undergone processes insufficient to modify the internal muscle fibre structure of the meat and thus to eliminate the characteristics of fresh meat. Meat preparations must not be re-frozen after thawing.
The following raw material may be used to prepare meat preparations:
- fresh meat;
- meat meeting the requirements for minced meat;
- if the meat preparation is clearly not intended to be consumed without first undergoing heat treatment;
- meat derived from the mincing or fragmentation of meat which meets the requirements for minced meat as set out in Chapter II, Section V of Regulation(EC) 853/2004 other than point 1(c)(i) of that chapter (i.e., scrap cuttings and scrap trimmings (other than whole muscle cuttings)); and
- mechanically separated meat (MSM) meeting the requirements as set out in Regulation (EC) 853/2004, Chapter III, point 3(d).