Brazil offers public comment to improve ham identity, quality requirements
The proposed changes are applicable to ham produced in an establishment with SIF, seek to maintain the identity of the products, ensure safety and innocuousness
1 November 2021
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Brazil's Agricultural Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) published Ordinance No. 430, which submits to public consultation for a period of 60 days, the draft Ordinance which regulates the requirements Identity and Quality Technicians (RTIQ) for cooked ham, superior cooked ham, tender cooked ham and cooked poultry ham. The new regulation revokes annexes VI and VII of Normative Instruction 20/2000.
“The RTIQ of the current ham was published in 2000, and in the last 21 years there have been technological changes in the sector regarding the manufacture of products, making it necessary to update the legislation”, explains Ana Lúcia, director of the Animal Products Inspection Department, Viana.
The document brings as a proposal for improvements the establishment of a maximum limit of collagen present in the final product, aiming to maintain the quality of the meat raw materials used, as well as to maintain the product's characteristics. There are also plans to clearly prohibit the grinding of raw materials, in order to standardize understandings and maintain the identity of the traditional product, and to update the minimum protein requirement from 14% to 16% for cooked ham, among other changes.
Hams cooked; top cooked; and tender cooked are meat products obtained exclusively from whole cuts of pork ham. Cooked poultry ham, on the other hand, is the meat product obtained exclusively from the hind limb of boneless poultry, ground or not.
The proposed changes, applicable to cooked ham produced in an establishment with SIF, seek to maintain the identity of the products, ensure safety and innocuousness, as well as standardize understandings and meet the demands of the productive sector.
Technically grounded suggestions should be sent through the Regulatory Acts Monitoring System (Sisman), of the Agricultural Defense Secretariat, through the link: https://sistemasweb.agricultura.gov.br/sisman/ . To have access to Sisman, the user must make a previous registration in the Access Request System (REQUESTS), through the link: https://sistemasweb.agricultura.gov.br/solicita/ .
