HC Deb 16 January 1990 vol 165 cc215-6W
Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the use of gels containing enzymes as binding agents in meat products.

Mr. Maclean

Meat products offered for sale have to comply with the provisions of the Food Act 1984, the Food Labelling Regulations 1984 and the Meat Products and Spreadable Fish Products Regulations 1984. Meat products made using the techniques mentioned would have to be carefully labelled so as to ensure that consumers are adequately informed of their true nature and means of production.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make it his policy to ban the use of vegetable enzymes as meat tenderisers.

Mr. Maclean

The continued use of vegetable enzymes to tenderise meat will be subject to single market rules yet to be determined. However during the course of the Adjournment debate on 7 November 1989, I announced the Government's decision not to seek provision for the continued use of the pre-slaughter injection of cattle with the enzyme papain when Community proposals are discussed.

Mr. Matthew Taylor

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will require meat subjected to treatment with the vegetable enzyme papain to be labelled in such a manner that the use of this enzyme is clear to prospective consumers.

Mr. Maclean

The Food Labelling Regulations 1984 already require that the name used for any meat which has been treated with proteolytic enzymes or which is derived from an animal that has been so treated shall include or be accompanied by the word "tenderised".

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