Sec.21a-115-14. Definitions and standards and labeling regulations for meat and meat products

(a) Flesh. Flesh is an edible part of the striated muscle of an animal. The term "animal," as herein used, indicates a mammal, a fowl, a fish, a crustacean, a mollusk or any other animal used as a source of food.

(b) Meat. Meat is the properly dressed flesh derived from cattle, from swine, from sheep or from goats sufficiently mature and in good health at the time of slaughter, but restricted to that part of the striated muscle which is skeletal or that which is found in the tongue, in the diaphragm, in the heart or in the esophagus, and does not include that found in the lips, in the snout or in the ears, with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of bone, skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the flesh and which may not have been separated from it in the process of dressing it for sale. The term "meat," when used in a qualified form, as, for example, "horse meat," "reindeer meat," "crab meat," etc., is then, and then only, properly applied to corresponding portions of animals other than cattle, swine, sheep and goats.

(c) Fresh meat. Fresh meat is meat which has undergone no substantial change in character since the time of slaughter.

(d) Beef. Beef is meat derived from cattle nearly one year of age or older.

(e) Veal. Veal is meat derived from young cattle one year or less in age.

(f) Mutton. Mutton is meat derived from sheep nearly one year of age or older.

(g) Lamb. Lamb is meat derived from young sheep one year or less in age.

(h) Pork. Pork is meat derived from swine.

(i) Venison. Venison is flesh derived from deer.

(j) Hamburg, hamburger. Hamburg or hamburger is comminuted fresh beef, with or without addition of suet. It contains not more than thirty per cent of fat.

(k) Meat loaf. Meat loaf is the product consisting of a mixture of comminuted meat with spice and/or with cereals, with or without milk and/or eggs, pressed into the form of a loaf and cooked.

(l) Sausage. The term "sausage" as used herein means the products commercially known as "sausage," including varieties that are fresh, dried, smoked or cooked, whether or not packed in casings. The more familiar varieties of sausage are pork sausage and sausage of Frankfort, Vienna and Bologna styles. Pork sausage and breakfast sausage, whether fresh, smoked or canned, shall not contain more than fifty per cent of fat.

(m) Optional ingredients. (1) Cereal, vegetable starch, starchy vegetable flour, soya flour, dried milk or dried skim milk may be added to sausage, provided the presence of such added material shall be declared in the manner hereinafter described and the amount of any one of these substances, or any combination of them, shall not exceed three and one-half per cent. (2) For the purpose of facilitating grinding, chopping and mixing, not more than three per cent of water or ice may be added to sausage which is not cooked and to luncheon meat; sausage of the type which is cooked, such as Frankfort style, Vienna style and Bologna style, may contain not more than ten per cent of added water or moisture to make the product palatable. (3) Certified artificial coloring may be used in the preparation of sausage casings, but when so used the fact shall be declared in the manner hereinafter provided. (4) No preservative may be used in meat or meat products sold, or required by definition to be, fresh meat. Permissible preservative and curing agents for preserved meats and meat products are common salt, sugar (sucrose), corn sugar (dextrose), wood smoke, vinegar, spices, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate (saltpeter), potassium nitrite, disodium phosphate and benzoate of soda. The sale of meats containing sodium sulphite or other salt of sulphurus acid is prohibited. The use of any of the nitrates or nitrites listed above shall not result in the presence of nitrite nitrogen equivalent to more than two hundred parts per million of sodium nitrite in the finished product. The maximum quantities of sodium nitrite and/or potassium nitrite that may be used are as follows: Two pounds in one hundred gallons of pickle; or one ounce for each one hundred pounds of meat in dry salt, dry cure or box cure; or one-quarter ounce in one hundred pounds of chopped meat and/or meat by-products. With appropriate declaration, the following preservatives may be added, in the amounts indicated, to render animal fat or a combination of such fat and vegetable fat: (A) Resin guaiac not to exceed ¹/₁₀ of 1 per cent; or (B) nordihydroguaiaretic acid not to exceed ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent; or (C) tocopherols not to exceed ³/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent; or (D) lecithin; or (E) citric acid not to exceed ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent; or (F) citric or phosphoric acid not to exceed ⁵/₁₀₀₀ of 1 per cent, in combination with not more than ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of nordihydroguaiaretic acid; or (G) propyl gallate not to exceed ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent; or (H) propyl gallate not to exceed ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent in combination with not more than ⁵/₁₀₀₀ of 1 per cent of citric acid; or (I) thiodipropionic acid, dilauryl thiodipropionate, distearyl thiodipropionate or combinations thereof in quantities not to exceed ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of thiodipropionic acid and ⁹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of either dilauryl thiodipropionate or distearyl thiodipropionate or combinations of the two; or (J) butylated hydroxyanisole (a mixture of 2-tertiary-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 3-tertiary-butyl-4 hydroxyanisole) or combinations of butylated hydroxyanisole with nordidydroguaiaretic acid or propyl gallate with or without the addition of citric or phosphoric acid, in quantities not to exceed ²/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of butylated hydroxyanisole, or ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of nordihydroguaiaretic acid plus ²/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of butylated hydroxyanisole, or ¹/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent propyl gallate plus ²/₁₀₀ of 1 per cent of butylated hydroxyanisole. Citric or phosphoric acid, not to exceed ⁵/₁₀₀₀ of 1 per cent, may be added with any of these.

(n) Labeling of unpaged meat products. (1) When the optional ingredients, or any of them, mentioned in subdivision (1) of subsection (m) are added to sausage, the product shall be marked with the name of each of such added ingredients, as, for example, "cereal added," "potato flour added," "cereal and potato flour added," "soya flour added," "dried skim milk added," "cereal and dried skim milk added," etc., as the case may be. (2) When a meat product is placed in casings to which artificial coloring is applied, the article shall be legibly and conspicuously marked by stamping or printing on the casing or securely affixing to the article the words "artificially colored," provided when the casing is colored, prior to its use as a covering for the product, with coloring of such kind and so applied as not to be transferrable to the product and not to be misleading or deceptive, the casing may be marked with the words "casing colored" prominently displayed. (3) A cloth bag, artificial casing or similar container of sausage or other meat product of a size larger than that customarily sold at retail intact shall be printed with such markings as "casing colored," "artificially colored," "cereal added," "dried skim milk added" and "imitation," near each end of the article, so as to be clearly visible to the consumer. (4) The markings indicated in subdivision (3) of this subsection shall be branded near each end of sausage or similar products prepared in animal casings when the article is of a size larger than customarily sold at retail intact. (5) When a preservative permitted in subparagraphs (A) to (J), inclusive, of subdivision (4) of subsection (m) of this section is added to sausage or other meat food products in casings, the product shall be marked to show the presence and percentage of the added preservative. (6) A product fabricated from two or more ingredients shall bear a list of the ingredients as required by section 21a-102 (i) (2) of the Connecticut Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and this list shall comply with all the requirements of section 21a-115-11. The list of ingredients shall be applied legibly and securely to the product by means such as stamping, printing or the use of paper bands, tags or tied-in paper or fabric flaps on stuffed sausage, or tissue strips on loaf-like articles. Bockwurst and sausages of the smaller varieties, such as frankfurters and pork sausage, shall bear the list of ingredients at least once on each two pounds of product. When such product is distributed in an immediate or true container of a type and size customarily sold at retail intact, the list of ingredients on the label of the package shall be sufficient.

(o) Labeling of packaged meat products (1) When any product is placed in any can, pot, tin, canvas or other receptacle or covering constituting an immediate or true container, there shall be affixed to such container or covering a label giving (A) the true name of the product; (B) the word "ingredients" followed by a list of the ingredients when the product is fabricated from two or more ingredients; (C) the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor; and (D) an accurate statement of the quantity of the contents. Plain wrappings for fresh meat, such as dressed carcasses and principal parts thereof, which are used solely to protect the product against soiling or excessive drying during transportation or storage need not bear labels; and uncolored transparent coverings, such as cellophane, which bear no printed or graphic matter and which enclose any unpackaged or packaged product bearing all required markings need not bear labels if the required markings are clearly legible through such coverings. Meat or meat products designed to be cut into portions that are weighed for the consumer at the time of sale need not be labeled with statements of their net weights. (2) Folders and similar coverings made of paper or like material, which do not completely enclose the product and which bear any printed word or statement, shall bear all features required on a label for an immediate or true container. (3) No container or covering which bears or is to bear a label shall be filled, in whole or in part, except with a product which is sound, healthful, wholesome and fit for human food, and which is strictly in accordance with the statements on the label. (4) The name of a product shall be the common name, if any, and one which clearly and completely identifies the article. A product which has been prepared by salting, smoking, drying, cooking, chopping and the like shall be so described on the label unless the name on the article implies, or the manner of packaging shows, that the product was subjected to such procedure or procedures. The unqualified terms "meat," "meat by-product," "meat food product," and terms common to the meat industry but not to consumers such as "picnic," "butt," "cala," "square," "loaf," "spread," "delight," "roll," "plate," "luncheon" and "daisy" shall not be used as names of articles unless accompanied with terms descriptive of the products or with lists of ingredients. (5) The list of ingredients shall appear as pof or in addition to the true name of the product and shall comply with all the requirements of section 21a-102 (i) (2) of the Connecticut Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and section 21a-115-11. For example, the name of an ingredient shall not be a collective name but a specific name, such as "beef," "pork," "beef tripe," "sheep livers," "pork snouts," "flour," "corn flour," "potato flour," "water," "dried skim milk," "tomato puree" and "beef broth." When a product is coated with pork fat, gelatin or other approved substance and a specific declaration of such coating appears in connection with the name of the product, the ingredient statement need not make reference to the ingredients of such coating. (6) No statement, word, picture, design or device which conveys any false impression or gives any false indication of origin or quality shall appear on any label. For example: (A) Terms having geographical significance with reference to a locality other than that in which the product is prepared may appear on the label only when qualified by the word "style," "type" or "brand," as the case may be, in the same size and lettering as in the geographical term, and accompanied with a prominent qualifying statement identifying the country, state, territory or locality in which the product is prepared, using terms appropriate to effect the qualification. When the word "style" or "type" is used, there shall be a recognized style or type of product identified with and peculiar to the locality represented by the geographical term and the product shall possess the characteristics of such style or type, and the word "brand" shall not be used in such a way as to be false or deceptive. A geographical term which has come into general usage as a trade name may be used without the qualifications provided forin this subparagraph. The terms "Frankfurter," "Vienna," "Bologna," "Braunschweiger," "Milan," "Polish," and their modifications, as applied to sausages, the terms "Brunswick" and "Irish" as applied to stews, and the term "Boston" as applied to pork shoulder butts, need not be accompanied by the word "style," "type" or "brand" or a statement identifying the locality in which the product is prepared. (B) Such terms as "farm," "country" and the like shall not be used on labels in connection with products unless such products are actually prepared on the farm or in the country. If the product is prepared in the same way as on the farm or in the country these terms, if qualified by the word "style" in the same size and style of lettering, may be used. The term "farm" may be used as part of a brand designation when qualified by the word "brand" in the same size and style of lettering, and followed with a statement identifying the locality in which the product is prepared. Sausage containing cereal shall not be labeled "farm style" or "country style" and lard not rendered in an open kettle shall be designated as "farm style" or "country style." (C) The terms "spring lamb" and "genuine spring lamb" are applicable only to carcasses of new-crop lambs slaughtered during the period beginning in March and terminating not beyond the close of the week containing the first Monday in October. (D) Coverings shall not be of such color, design or kind as to be misleading or deceptive with respect to color, quality or kind of product to which they are applied. For example, transparent or semitransparent coverings for such articles as sliced bacon or pork sausage shall not bear lines or other designs of red or other color which give a false impression of leanness of the product. (E) The word "fresh" shall not be used on labels to designate a product which contains any sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, potassium nitrate, potassium nitrite or benzoate of soda or which has been salted for preservation. (F) The words "spice," "spices" and "spiced," without qualification, shall not be used unless they refer to genuine natural spice. (G) As used on labels of meat or any meat product, the term "gelatin" shall mean (i) the jelly prepared by cooking pork skins, tendons or connective tissue and (ii) dry commercial gelatin or the jelly resulting from its use. (H) Any product, other than a canned product, labeled with the term "loaf" as its name or part of its name shall be prepared in loaf form with sufficient stability to withstand handling before being placed in a wrapper, casing or the like. (I) The term "baked" shall apply only to a product which has been cooked by the direct action of dry heat and for a sufficient time to permit the product to assume the characteristics of a baked article, such as the formation of a brown crust on the surface, rendering out of surface fat, and the caramelization of the sugar if applied. Baked loaves shall be heated to a temperature of at least 160°F. and baked pork cuts shall be heated to an internal temperature of at least 170°F. (J) When a product such as a loaf is browned by dipping in hot edible oil or by a flame, its label shall state such fact, the words "Browned in Hot Cottonseed Oil" or "Browned by a Flame," as the case may be, appearing as part of the name of the product. (K) The term "meat" and the names of particular kinds of meat, such as beef, veal, mutton, lamb and pork, shall not be used in such a manner as to be misleading or deceptive. (L) The word "ham," without any prefix indicating the species of animal from which derived, shall be used on labels only in connection with pork hams. Ham shanks as such or ham shank meat as such or the trimmings accruing in the trimming and shaping of hams shall not be labeled "ham" or "ham meat" without qualification. When used in connection with a chopped product, the term "ham" or "ham meat" shall not include the skin. (M) The terms "shankless" and "hockless" shall apply only to ham and pork shoulders from which the shank or hock has been completely removed, thus eliminating the entire tibia and fibula, or radius and ulna, respectively, together with the overlying muscle, skin and other tissue. (N) Such terms as "meat extract" or "extract of beef" without qualification shall not be used on labels in connection with products prepared from organs or parts of the carcass other than fresh meat. Extracts prepared from any parts of the carcass other than fresh meat shall not be labeled "meat extract" but may be properly labeled with the true name of the parts from which prepared. In the case of extracts in fluid form, the word "fluid" shall also appear on the label, as, for example, "fluid extract of beef." Meat extracts shall contain not more than twenty-five per cent of moisture. Fluid extract of meat shall contain not more than fifty per cent of moisture. (O) When cereal, vegetable starch, starchy vegetable flour, soya flour, dried milk or dried skim milk is added to sausage, there shall appear on the label in a prominent manner, contiguous to the name of the product, the name of each such added ingredient, as, for example, "cereal added," "with cereal," "potato flour added," "cereal and potato flour added," "soya flour added," "dried skim milk added," "cereal and dried skim milk added," as the case may be. (P) When any product is enclosed in a container along with a packing substance such as brine, vinegar or agar jelly, a declaration of the packing substance shall be printed prominently on the label in connection with the name of the product, as, for example, "frankfurts packed in brine," "lamb tongue packed in vinegar," or "beef tongue packed in agar jelly," as the case may be. The statement of the quantity of contents shall represent the weight of the drained product when removed from the container to the exclusion of the packing substance. The packing substance shall not be used in such a manner as will result in the container being so filled as to be misleading. (Q) The term "lard" is applicable only to the fat rendered from fresh, clean, sound, fatty tissues from hogs in good health at the time of slaughter, with or without lard stearin or hydrogenated lard. The tissues do not include bones, detached skin, head skins, ears, tails, organs, windpipes, large blood vessels, scrap fat, skimmings, settlings, pressings and the like, and are reasonably free from muscle tissue and blood. (R) The term "leaf lard" is applicable only to lard prepared from fresh leaf fat. (S) The term "rendered pork fat" is applicable to the fat other than lard, rendered from clean, sound carcasses, parts of carcasses, or edible organs from hogs in good health at the time of slaughter, except that stomachs, bones from the head and bones from cured or cooked pork are not included. The tissues rendered are usually fresh, but may be cured, cooked or otherwise prepared and may contain some meat food products. Rendered pork fat may be hardened by the use of lard stearin and/or hydrogenated lard and/or rendered pork fat stearin and/or hydrogenated rendered pork fat. (T) When lard or hardened lard is mixed with rendered pork fat or hardened rendered pork fat, the mixture shall be designated as "rendered pork fat" or "hardened rendered pork fat," as the case may be. (U) Oil, stearin, or stock obtained from beef or mutton fats rendered at a temperature above 170°F. shall not be designated as "oleo oil," "oleo stearin," or "oleo stock," respectively. (V) When not more than twenty per cent of beef fat, mutton fat, oleo stearin, vegetable stearin or hardened vegetable fat is mixed with lard or with rendered pork fat, there shall appear on the label, contiguous to and in the same size and style of lettering as the name of the product, the words "beef fat added," "mutton fat added," "oleo stearin added," "vegetable stearin added," or "hardened vegetable fat added," as the case may be. (W) The designation "vegetable fat" is applicable to vegetable oil, vegetable stearin, or a combination of such oil and stearin, where the designations "vegetable oil" and "vegetable stearin" shall be applicable only to the oil and the stearin, respectively. (X) No rendered edible animal fat or mixture of fats containing rendered edible animal fat shall contain added water, except that puff-pastry shortening may contain not more than ten per cent of water, and oleomargarine may contain water within the limits prescribed by section 45.0 of the Federal Definitions and Standards for Food. (Y) Containers of edible rendered animal fats and mixtures of edible fats containing animal fats shall, before or immediately after filling, be legibly marked with the true name of the product. (Z) Products labeled "chile con carne" shall contain not less than forty per cent of meat. Head meat, cheek meat and heart meat exclusive of the heart cap may be used to the extent of twenty-five per cent of the meat ingredient under specific declaration on the label. The mixture may contain not more than eight per cent, individually or collectively, of cereal or soya flour. (AA) Products labeled "chile con carne with beans" shall contain not less than twenty-five per cent of meat. Head meat, cheek meat and heart meat exclusive of the heart cap may be used to the extent of twenty-five per cent of the meat ingredient under specific declaration on the label. (BB) Products labeled "hash" shall contain not less than thirty-five per cent of meat computed on the weight of the cooked and trimmed meat. The weight of the cooked meat used in this calculation shall not exceed seventy per cent of the uncooked weight of the fresh meat. Corned beef hash shall not be made with cereal, vegetable flour, dried skim milk or similar substances. Beef cheek meat and beef head meat from which the overlying glandular and connective tissues have been removed, and beef heart meat, exclusive of the heart cap, may be used individually or collectively to the extent of five per cent of the meat ingredient in the preparation of corned beef hash. (CC) Products labeled as meat stews, for example, "beef stew," "lamb stew" and the like shall contain not less than twenty-five per cent of meat. (DD) Products labeled "tamales" shall contain not less than twenty-five per cent of meat. When tamales are packed in sauce or gravy the name of the product shall include a prominent reference to the sauce or gravy, for example, "Tamales with Sauce," or "Tamales with Gravy." Products labeled "Tamales with Sauce" or "Tamales with Gravy" shall contain not less than twenty per cent meat. (EE) Spaghetti with meat balls and sauce, spaghetti with meat and sauce, and similar products, shall contain not less than twelve per cent of meat. The presence of the sauce or gravy constituent shall be declared prominently on the label as part of the name of the product. Meat balls may be prepared with not more than twelve per cent, singly or collectively, of farinaceous material, soya flour, dried skim milk and the like. (FF) Spaghetti sauce with meat shall contain not less than six per cent of meat. (GG) Scrapple shall contain not less than forty per cent of meat and/or meat byproducts. The meal or flour used may be derived from grain and/or soybeans. (HH) Liver sausage, liver loaf, liver paste, liver cheese, liver pug, liver spread and the like shall contain not less than thirty per cent of liver. (II) Products labeled "ham spread," "tongue spread" and the like shall contain not less than fifty per cent of the meat ingredient named, to the exclusion of other meat and meat byproducts except fat. (JJ) Deviled ham may contain added ham fat, provided the total fat content shall not exceed thirty-five per cent of the finished product. The moisture content of deviled ham, deviled tongue, and the like, shall not exceed that of the fresh unprocessed meat. (KK) Potted meat food products and deviled meat food products shall not contain cereal, vegetable flour, dried skim milk and similar substances. The amount of water added to potted meat food products and deviled meat food products shall be limited to that necessary to replace moisture lost during processing. (LL) Cooked, cured or pickled pigs' feet, pigs' knuckles, and the like, shall be labeled to show that the bones remain in the product, if such is the case. The designation "semiboneless" shall not be used if less than fifty per cent of the total weight of bones has been removed. (MM) Canned products labeled "Corned Beef" and canned products labeled "Roast Beef Parboiled and Steam Roasted" shall be prepared so that the weight of the finished product shall not exceed seventy per cent by weight of the fresh beef, plus salt and flavoring material included in the product. Beef cheek meat and beef head meat from which the overlying glandular and connective tissues have been removed, and beef heart meat, exclusive of the heart cap, may be used individually or collectively to the extent of five per cent of the meat ingredient in the preparation of canned products labeled "Corned Beef" or "Roast Beef Parboiled and Steam Roasted." (NN) When monoglycerides and diglycerides are added to rendered animal fat or a combination of such fat and vegetable fat, there shall appear on the label in a prominent manner and contiguous to the name of the product a statement such as "With Monoglycerides and Diglycerides," "Monoglycerides and Diglycerides Added," "With Diglycerides and Monoglycerides" or "Diglycerides and Monoglycerides Added," as the case may be. (OO) Canned products labeled "Tripe with Milk" shall be prepared so that the finished canned article will contain at least sixty-five per cent tripe exclusive of the cooked-out juices and milk. The product shall be prepared with not less than ten per cent milk. (PP) Products labeled "Beans with Frankfurters in Sauce," "Sauerkraut with Wieners and Juice," and the like, shall contain not less than twenty per cent of frankfurters or "wieners." (QQ) Products labeled "Lima Beans with Ham in Sauce," "Beans with Ham in Sauce," "Beans with Bacon in Sauce," and the like, shall contain not less than twelve per cent of ham or bacon. (RR) Products labeled "Chow Mein Vegetables with Meat" and "Chop Suey Vegetables with Meat" shall contain not less than twelve per cent meat.

(See G.S. § 21a-100.)

(Effective July 27, 1984)