Supermarkets can sell mince which is less than 50% meat after Government asks to opt out from new EU rules

  • European regulations set limit of 35% filler for minced beef and 48% for pork
  • But ministers have requested exemption for UK
  • Fears move could harm quality of food for Britons

By Hugo Gye

PUBLISHED: 04:19 EST, 4 February 2013 | UPDATED: 04:19 EST, 4 February 2013

The Government is set to allow supermarkets to continue to sell mince which is less than 50 per cent meat despite EU rules aiming to crack down on mislabelling of food.

Officials say that stopping retailers from bulking up mince with fat and connective tissue would cost the industry hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

But with the revelation following closely on from the recent horsemeat scandal, it could raise further fears that Britons are inadvertently eating impure food.

Rules: The EU is cracking down on the amount of meat found in minced pork and beef (file photo)

Rules: The EU is cracking down on the amount of meat found in minced pork and beef (file photo)

EU regulations set to be introduced next year will impose strict limits on the amount of fat and collagen which can be included in minced beef and pork.

Lean beef mince will be allowed to contain no more than 19 per cent filler, while regular beef mince will have up to 35 per cent.

Minced pork will be allowed nearly as much filler as meat, with a maximum of 48 per cent collagen and fat.

 

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Collagen, which is best known for its role in cosmetic surgery, is a protein found in animals' tendons.

Currently a large proportion of the meat on British supermarket shelves breaches the purity regulations, meaning it could no longer be labelled as mince once the EU rules came into force.

Ministers have therefore asked for an exemption - or 'derogation' - to the new regulations in order to safeguard the UK's food industry, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Opt-out: Defra officials are seeking to exempt British supermarkets from the rule

Opt-out: Defra officials are seeking to exempt British supermarkets from the rule

In an 'impact assessment' of the rules issued last year, officials wrote: 'A significant proportion of mince meat currently sold in the UK contains a greater proportion of collagen than would be permitted.

'Adopting this derogation avoids costs to businesses arising from not being able to sell such minced meat in the UK as minced meat.'

The Government claims that if the regulations were imposed in full, they would cost food manufacturers more than £800,000 a year.

However, Labour MP Barry Gardiner attacked ministers for failing to safeguard consumers, describing the plans as a 'national disgrace'.

'Why should British people eat mince which is not the same standard as the rest of Europe?', he said to the Telegraph.

'They seem to be more concerned with wiping out regulations than in what consumers are eating.'

A spokesman for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said that a 'final decision' had not yet been made on how to implement the rules.

'These regulations are about striking the right balance between improved information for consumers and red tape on food businesses,' he added.

Minced meat has been in the headlines over the past few weeks after it emerged that a number of supermarkets had been selling hamburgers which contained horse meat.

The contaminated mince came from a factory in Ireland, which blamed it on a supplier in Poland.

 

Comments (335)

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What they really mean is that that greedy big business can make more money selling us this junk instead of real food. It shows how they really think of us plebs - we're no better than cattle, dogs or cats, any old junk will do for us.

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Amazing that they can opt out of good directives but not bother for the bad ones. I bet the grossly overpaid MPs never buy this rubbish. I mince my own from chuck and braising steak and my burgers taste like the ones from gourmet restaurants. Anyone who buys butcher's mince deserves what they get.

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Well, boys, hows about opting out of the EU rule which will allow about one million Bulgarians and Rumanians to come and live off our benefits system ??

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This applies to the lowest quality meat. Simply look at the package before you buy. Or go to your butcher. Simple.

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I have not bought meat from Supermarkets for over 25 years and this story is one of the reasons.

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I do not trust the EU and I think that Britain should be in charge of its own affairs but I find it very disturbing that our own government is not trying to protect us and our food supply. It takes a diktat from Brussels to bring this to our attention, only to discover that our government thinks that very low grade food is acceptable to be served to us. The food industry will continue with misleading labelling and serving us rubbish as long as our government allows it. Money comes first and our health and well being come in a poor second place.

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Why is it the government prevents any EU legislation that would benefit the consumer but anything that cost us money and whole army of inspectors is engaged to enforce the regulations.

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This is the only useful legislation that I have EVER seen from the EU, it beggars belief that we plan to opt out of it.

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Connective tissue ? I feel sick now.

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"Officials say that stopping retailers from bulking up mince with fat and connective tissue would cost the industry hundreds of thousands of pounds a year"................. What they are really saying is it would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to give the customer what he actually thought he was getting in the first place.

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