Ground beef has new sales rules starting this Wednesday (1st)

The new rules of the Map (Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock) for the sale of ground beef start to take effect this Tuesday (1st). Among the main changes are the cooling rules and the limitation of the selling weight. The product can only come in trays of up to 1 kilo.

The changes were published in ordinance 664, on October 4, and apply to establishments and industries that produce ground beef and provide ready-made packages to stores. They do not apply to supermarkets and butchers that sell direct to the consumer.

Establishments registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply will have one year to adapt and the deadline began to run in November.

According to the ministry, the new regulation, which updates normative instruction 83/2003, aims to ensure product safety and transparency for consumers.

See the main rules of ground beef

1. Each package must have a maximum of 1 kilo
2. You will need to refrigerate or freeze immediately after grinding the meat.
3. Chilled ground beef should be kept between 0°C and 4°C
4. Frozen ground beef will need to be kept at a maximum temperature of -12°C
5. It is not allowed to scrape or grind bones or offal
6. The use of industrial meat is prohibited
7. The maximum percentage of fat must be informed on the main panel, next to the shelf

It is a mandatory ingredient in the manufacture of ground beef, the meat obtained from skeletal muscle masses. The maximum percentage of fat in the product must be informed on the main panel, next to the sales denomination.

How should the cooling be?

Chilled ground beef should be kept between 0°C and 4°C. In the case of frozen product, the temperature ranges from 0°C to -12°C. The product cannot leave the grinding equipment at a temperature above 7°C and must be immediately cooled or frozen.

In addition, the environment cannot have a temperature above 10°C. It is necessary that the product is immediately subjected to cooling or rapid freezing.

Ground beef must have:

1. characteristic aroma
2. characteristic texture
3. characteristic color
4. characteristic flavor

The fractionation of ground beef in the retail market is prohibited. The packaging must bring this clear information, where it must be read “prohibited fractionation” clearly and prominently on the label. There will be a period of 365 days for the establishments registered on the Map to adapt.