Court rules mechanically butchered meat is fresh meat
A High Court ruling has found that meat processor Newby Foods’ mechanical butchery of meat produces the quality and structure consistent with fresh meat.
Leatherhead Food Research – as a UKAS accredited laboratory for muscle fibre structure analysis to determine the quality of mechanically separated meat – was employed in the case as an expert witness.
The organisation’s analysis demonstrated that the muscle fibre structure of chicken and pork harvested via Newby Foods’ mechanical butchery process was consistent with fresh meat. Following the findings, the judge concluded that the meat was not mechanically separated meat, enabling it to contribute to the labelled meat content of end products.
Professor Kathy Groves, head of microscopy at Leatherhead Food Research, worked on the analysis of the Newby Foods case.
Newby Foods’ managing director, Graham Bishop, said: “The Leatherhead method of analysis was directly referred to by Mr Justice Edwards-Stuart in the final ruling. It proved beyond doubt that our meat has the properties of standard fresh meat, not mechanically separated meat.”
Head of Microscopy at Leatherhead Food Research, professor Kathy Groves, added: “Our evaluation of Newby Foods’ samples involved detailed microstructural analysis. In all cases, the muscle fibre structures were almost completely intact, just as you would expect to see with fresh meat.
“The technique we used could enhance food manufacturers’ incoming quality inspections for products where the inclusion of mechanically butchered meat is acceptable, but mechanically separated meat is not.”
According to Leatherhead Food Research, as the performance of butchery machines improves it is enabling residual meat to be harvested with little damage to the muscle structure. It believes the developments will play a vital role in the food industry, enhancing cost-effectiveness, reducing food waste and safeguarding the environment.
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