EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/56

(2004/C 78 E/0055)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1955/03

by Baroness Sarah Ludford (ELDR) to the Commission

(13 June 2003)

Subject: Processing of chicken intended for human consumption

The BBC TV programme ‘Panorama’ in the UK recently highlighted a common practice in the food industry of using protein derived from pork and beef as an additive to chicken fillets in order to increase the amount of water that the meat can hold and, hence, the weight.

Much of this product is supplied to the catering industry, so there is little or no information available to consumers. Will the Commission undertake to ban this practice, which amounts to consumer fraud and an infringement of consumers' right to choose what they eat?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-1927/03 and E-1955/03

given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(28 July 2003)

The Commission is aware of the programme made by the BBC and broadcast on 22 May 2003, and of the results of the tests carried out by the UK and Irish authorities and published on 12 March 2003 (1) relating to chicken-fillet-based products made in the Netherlands and intended for catering outlets.

The practices investigated are intended to increase the amount of water in the end product by adding water-retaining ingredients such as salts, polyphosphates and proteins (caseins, protein hydrolysates).

As the Commission stated in its answers to Written Questions E-2418/02 from Ms Jackson (2) and E-2331/02 from Ms Corby (3) on the same subject, it is not illegal to process meat in this way, as long as hygiene and food safety rules are respected and the buyer is clearly informed of the real nature of the product. With regard to the latter point, the Commission has proposed, in the context of the work of its Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, a new measure making it obligatory to mention the presence of added water in a product's trade name.

With regard to the difficulty of ensuring the traceability of the proteins used, according to the BBC programme it was impossible to detect the DNA of the proteins used and therefore to identify the species of animal from which they were derived. The Commission will be looking at the procedure with experts from the Member States.

However, it should be emphasised at this stage that DNA detection does not, in itself, constitute traceability, but rather an a posteriori traceability tool. Other measures, in particular documentary checks, are needed in order to trace back a product.

With regard to the labelling of these meat products, current EU legislation (4) requires the use of a trade name and list of ingredients that do not mislead the buyer and requires the amount of the characteristic ingredient of the food (in this case meat) to be stated.

This legislation applies to foods intended to be supplied as they are to the end consumer, i.e. foods sold packaged or not, self-service or take-away. Dishes served in restaurants are not covered, although, as the legislation also applies to foodstuffs supplied to restaurants, the latter should be able to provide any information requested on the ingredients and characteristics of these products.

(1) http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/chickenwater0303 http://www.fsai.ie/press_releases/120303.htm.

(2) OJ C 28 E, 6.2.2003, p. 234.

(3) OJ C 52 E, 6.3.2003, p. 152.

(4) Directive 2000/13/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 March 2000 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs, OJ L 109, 6.5.2000.