,"The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) has officially adopted a series of amendments to the Technical Regulation of the Customs Union TR CU 034/2013, titled “On the Safety of Meat and Meat Products.” These changes aim to enhance food safety, improve labeling transparency, and harmonize standards across the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member countries.
Key Developments:
Regulatory Approval & Implementation:
The amendments were approved by the EEC Council in accordance with Article 52 of the EAEU Treaty (May 29, 2014).
The updated regulation will come into force 180 calendar days after its official publication.
Signatories include representatives from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, such as M. Grigoryan (Armenia), N. Petkevich (Russia), and S. Zhumangarin (Kazakhstan).
Expanded Product Definitions:
Meat processing terms now include offal (subproducts) in categories like boiled, smoked, baked, and fried products.
New classifications introduced for chunky semi-finished products, boneless portioned cuts, and meat-containing products with defined meat content thresholds.
Technological Impurities Regulation:
A new category, “technological impurities of animal origin,” has been defined.
Strict limits imposed:
≤0.1% without labeling.
≤0.5% or ≤1% with mandatory labeling.
Impurities include residual blood, collagen, and mechanically deboned meat, monitored via national or international standards.
Labeling Transparency:
Labels must now specify:
Group (e.g., meat, meat-containing, meat-vegetable).
Type (e.g., sausage, pâté, broth).
Processing method (e.g., boiled, smoked).
Voluntary ingredient mentions (e.g., “contains beef”) must meet content thresholds:
>50% for meat products.
5–50% for meat-containing products.
Up to two dominant meat ingredients may be listed.
Microbiological Safety Enhancements:
Safety standards for products like gelatin have been tightened.
For example, the acceptable level of coliform bacteria in gelatin has been reduced from 1g to 0.1g."
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