Producers of an Australian culinary classic, the meat pie, could be forced to make some recipe changes after the trans-Tasman food watchdog Food Standards Australia and New Zealand proposed to amend regulations that would require meat pies to contain a minimum 25% “meat flesh”.
The current definition omits the word “flesh”, meaning that meat pies can legally contain any part of an animal carcass. Including the word “flesh” means that the meat in meat pies must be muscle, but can also include attached fat, nerves and blood vessels.
FSANZ said that recent revelations in the press about the content of meat pies had turned consumers off the Australian favourite. One study by Choice Magazine, published earlier this year, said that meat pies were often filled with gristle.
The draft assessment report calls for submissions from interested parties before 15 November.
