Main requirements
(1) A meat product must satisfy the following sensory requirements: a) with regard to the surface appearance and colour, the surface is not dirty, the casing is intact apart from slicing, and the shape is not deformed unless the shape depends directly on the manufacturing technology; the surface of a smoked meat product is uniformly smoked without any contact marks or blackness from the smoking process, b) the appearance and colour of a slice corresponds to the raw material composition and technology used; the slice contains no gristly or unprocessed parts and, if the product contains an insert, the insert does not spontaneously detach itself from the binder; when the product is sliced, no water or fat is released, c) the consistency is characteristic for the particular meat product group, and the product is sliceable or spreadable, d) the product smells like the raw materials used and is without foreign odours, and in the case of a smoked meat product, it smells smoked, e) the product tastes like the raw materials used and is without foreign flavours, and in the case of a smoked meat product, it tastes smoked. (2) After manufacture, the meat product shall be chilled as quickly as possible, and stored and shipped such that the product’s internal temperature conforms to the criteria for its inclusion in the product group according to paragraph (3). (3)A chilled meat product shall be chilled after manufacture and maintained at the following temperatures during the subsequent handling and placement on the market: a) maximum 4 °C for a soft meat product, cooked meat product, roast meat product and meat semi-conserve, b) maximum 7 °C for raw salted meat, c) maximum 12 °C for smoked ham. (4) All parts of a soft meat product, durable heat-treated meat product, cooked meat product, roast meat product, heat-treated salted meat, heat-treated bacon and viscera in a heat-treated product shall be exposed to the heat effects corresponding to the action of a minimum temperature of 70 °C for at least 10 minutes. (5) If the name of a meat product indicates a specific type of body part of an animal processed in a slaughterhouse, the product shall be manufactured from that anatomical part of the animal body. (6) A meat product intended for consumption hot shall be assessed in both the cold and hot states; the taste of the product shall be assessed only in the hot state. (7) According to the temperature used, a meat product may be treated by smoking a) in cold smoke at a temperature between 8 °C and 24 °C, b) in hot smoke at a temperature between 25 °C and 69 °C, c) in very hot smoke at a temperature between 70 °C and 100 °C. (8) Depending on the temperature conditions throughout the whole course of handling and placement on the market, meat products are classed as a a) chilled meat product that can have a maximum temperature of 4 °C in all parts, other than the meat product referred to in paragraph 3(a) and (b), b) durable meat product that can be stored and kept at ambient temperature, c) meat conserve that can be stored and kept at ambient temperature, protected from frost. (9) Meat products are classed in the following groups: a) soft meat product, b) durable meat product, c) cooked meat product, d) roast meat product, e) salted meat, f) meat semi-conserve and meat conserve. (10)Meat products are classed according to the degree of heat treatment as being heat a) treated, b) untreated. (11) Cooked meat products are classed in the following subgroups: a) pâté, meat spread, meat paste, meat mousse, b) brawn, aspic product, c) offal sausage, blood sausage, pudding. (12) Roast meat products are classed in the following subgroups: a) roast meat product made from a meat component, minced meat or chopped meat, b) roast meat. (13) Salted meats are classed in the following subgroups: a) raw salted meat, b) heat-treated salted meat, c) heat-treated bacon, d) smoked bacon. (14) Meat conserves are classed as the following types: a) beef in its own juice, b) pork in its own juice, c) luncheon meat, d) liver pâté, e) pork belly spread, f) other meat conserves, for example, meat spread, meat paste.