EU to ban "meat glue"
The European Parliament has voted on Wednesday (May 19) to ban bovine and porcine thrombin used as an additive to bind separate pieces of meat together into one piece.
'Meat glue' is an enzyme composed of thrombin and fibrogen, obtained from blood plasma. It can be used by the meat industry as a food additive for reconstituting fresh meat to create a product of desirable size and form. The method can also be applied to poultry, fish and seafood.
The advantages and benefits for consumers of thrombin have not been demonstrated, the House said, adding that reconstituting bits of meat and sticking it with thrombin was not safe, as the many surfaces of the meat pieces could be infected by pathogenic bacteria.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) gave a positive safety opinion on the use of 'meat glue' in 2005. The European Commission called for it to be approved and added to a positive list of additives in an EU Directive on Food Additivesif accompanied by proper labelling requirements.
The practice has raised concern in several countries, including Germany, though reconstituting meat is a common practice, especially in processed meats such as ham and chicken rolls.
