EN Official Journal of the European Union C 251/6

Publication of an amendment application in accordance with Article 8(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed

2011/C 251/05

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 9 of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

AMENDMENT APPLICATION

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 509/2006

AMENDMENT APPLICATION ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 11

‘FALUKORV’

EC No: SE-TSG-0107-0020-31.08.2007

1. Applicant group:

Name of the group: Kött och Charkföretagen (Swedish Meat Industry Association) Address: Box 55680 SE-102 15 Stockholm SVERIGE Tel. +46 87626525 E-mail: info@kcf.se

2. Member State or third country:

Sweden

3. Heading in the specification affected by the amendment:

—  Name of product —  Reservation of the name (Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006) — Description of product — Method of production — Other (specify): minimum requirements and procedures for checking the specific character

4. Type of amendment(s):

— Amendment to specification of registered TSG —  Temporary amendment to specification resulting from imposition of obligatory sanitary or phytosanitary measures by public authorities (Article 11(3) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006) (provide evidence of these measures)

5. Amendment(s):

Method of production

(a) Raw materials

(i) Simplification and shortening of the part of the text on the meat and fat contained in the product.

(ii) Change from cooking salt to salt.

(iii) Sugar, dextrose and onion added to permitted raw materials.

The amendment constitutes clarification of the definition of meat. Changes are also proposed which are based on a development in the recipe, and also the use of different types of salt other than cooking salt. However, these changes do not affect the food’s specific character or fundamental properties. Obligatory raw materials should be specified in order to safeguard the specific character. The use of permitted raw materials does not significantly affect the food’s specific character.

(b) Additives

(i) Preservative E 250 becomes an obligatory additive.

(ii) Ascorbic acid (E 300), sodium ascorbate (E 301) and E 450, E 451, E 452 (up to maximum-permitted-use level of 1,5 g/kg calculated as P2O5) become permitted additives.

The amendment constitutes a modification of additive designations and constitutes clarification. It is a consequence of natural developments in production technology. Obligatory additives should be specified in order to safeguard the specific character. The use of permitted additives does not significantly affect the food’s specific character.

(c) Preparation

The background to the amendment is a natural development in the technical equipment used in the meat products industry. A clarification has been introduced compared with the previous specification, namely that ‘smoke-permeable casings’ must be used. This clarification is important in ensuring that the traditional character of the food is maintained.

Description of the product

Simplification of the text in a way which does not affect the food’s specific character or properties. The microbiological properties are no longer relevant in view of the developments which hygiene legislation has gone through since the original specification was approved.

A more detailed description of the specific character of ‘Falukorv’ has been added.

Minimum requirements and procedures to check the ‘specific character’

(a) Adaptation to the new definition of meat (European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/13/EC, Annex I). As the EU definition of meat has been amended since the previous specification was approved, the minimum permitted meat content had to be raised. There is no substantive change, merely an adaptation of the definition.

(b) The amendment is a consequence of the removal of microbiological properties.

(c) Clarification has been introduced in terms of the frequency of checks and how they are to be carried out.

6. Updated product specification:

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

6.1. Name(s) to be registered (Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

‘Falukorv’

‘according to Swedish tradition’

6.2. Whether the name:

is specific in itself  expresses the specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff

‘Falukorv’ is an established name for the type of product covered by the specification. The name is used solely for this type of sausage and the use has a long history. The name of the sausage originates from the city of Falun, but the geographical link ceased to exist a long time ago and today ‘Falukorv’ is produced by meat product companies throughout Sweden.

6.3. Whether reservation of the name is sought under Article 13(2) of Regulation (EC) No 509/2006:

Registration with reservation of the name  Registration without reservation of the name

6.4. Type of product:

Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)

6.5. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1 applies (Article 3(1) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

Organoleptic characteristics

The colour of the slices ranges from a faint to marked brownish-pink.

The consistency is firm.

‘Falukorv’ has a delicate to pronounced taste of smoke, seasoning and salt.

Physical and chemical characteristics

‘Falukorv’ may contain a maximum of 65 g water per 100 g finished product.

The fat content may be a maximum of 23 g per 100 g finished product, calculated on the basis of the maximum authorised water content.

6.6. Description of the production method of the agricultural product or foodstuff to which the name under point 3.1 applies (Article 3(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

Obligatory raw materials

— raw or salted beef, horsemeat or pigmeat with rind removed (meat as defined in Annex I to European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/13/EC),

— raw or salted pig fat with rind removed,

— potato flour,

— water,

— salt,

— seasoning.

Raw materials permitted

— sugar,

— dextrose,

— onion.

Obligatory additives

— preservative E 250.

Additives permitted

— anti-oxidants E 300, E 301,

— stabilisers E 450, E 451, E 452 (maximum 1,5 g/kg calculated as P2O5).

Preparation

The raw materials and additives are mixed and emulsified in an emulsifying machine or chopper.

The sausage mix is packed into smoke-permeable casings of at least 45 mm in diameter.

The sausages are smoked and heat-treated to a core temperature of not less than + 72 °C.

They are chilled to below + 8 °C.

6.7. Specific character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(3) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

The colour of the slices ranges from a faint to marked brownish-pink.

The consistency is firm.

‘Falukorv’ has a delicate to pronounced taste of smoke, seasoning and salt.

‘Falukorv’ may contain a maximum of 65 g water per 100 g finished product.

The fat content may be a maximum of 23 g per 100 g finished product, calculated on the basis of the maximum authorised water content.

‘Falukorv’ is a coarse sausage (diameter > 45 mm), which is sliced into centimetre-thick slices and fried for lunch or dinner. In some parts of Sweden sliced ‘Falukorv’ is also used as a sandwich filling.

6.8. Traditional character of the agricultural product or foodstuff (Article 3(4) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

‘Falukorv’ goes back to 17th century Sweden. National rules on its production date from 1973. Most Swedes regard ‘Falukorv’ as a national dish.

According to the Dalarna Museum, ‘Falukorv’ dates back to the 17th century, when ox hides were used to produce cords for extracting ore from the Falu Koppargruva copper mine. In winter it was possible to store surplus meat, but in summer it was made into sausage so that it would keep longer. This sausage went by the name ‘Falukorv’.

The Stora Kopparbergs Län local newspaper of 14 December 1834 contained the following reference: ‘Every year large quantities of smoked sausage produced in Schedwi parish are sent to the capital. In Stockholm this goes by the name of Fahlu Korf (old Swedish spelling, now “Falukorv”) and has been a bestseller for many years.’

According to a survey of eating habits — ‘Mat och måltider bland arbetare och tjänstemän i Jonsered under 1900-talet’ (‘Food and meals of blue-collar and white-collar workers in Jonsered in the 20th century’) (third semester (C1) essay in ethnology, Göteborg University, spring semester 1976, Birgitta Frykman), ‘Falukorv’ is a common foodstuff in both white-collar and blue-collar households.

Traditionally, ‘Falukorv’ has always been produced from raw meat products, using potato flour as the sole binding agent.

The ‘Receptbok för charkuterister’ (‘Recipe book for meat product makers’), compiled by Henning Fasth in 1936, contains two recipes for ‘Falukorv’. The recipes use either beef or fatty pork or, in the second recipe, slightly fattier beef, but with potato flour as the sole binding agent.

Page 69 of ‘Charkuterikursen — del 2’ (‘Course for meat product manufacturers — part 2’) published by Brevskolan och LTK in 1955 contains a recipe for ‘Falukorv’. ‘Beef cat. III’ contains around 20 % fat and ‘pork III’ around 50 % (page 92). The sole binding agent is potato flour.

When the national standard was introduced in 1973, it laid down minimum requirements for meat quantities according to the traditional method of producing ‘Falukorv’ in the 1900s.

6.9. Minimum requirements and procedures to check the specific character (Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2007):

There must be at least 45 g meat per 100 g finished product.

Potato flour may be added to a maximum 4 g dry matter per 100 g finished product. The dry matter is calculated on the basis of the maximum authorised water content.

Minimum and maximum content checks and chemical checks must be carried out annually at manufacturing establishments by the competent monitoring authority. Chemical values for fat and water must be measured by sampling following homogenisation of 500 g of ‘Falukorv’.

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.