working group meat products

Calculation basis (an Excel spreadsheet for calculating the meat content based on the aforementioned definitions and equations)

Assessment criteria for meat products of greater market significance throughout Germany

In addition to the German Food Code’s guidelines for meat and meat products, the assessment criteria of the working group meat products describe the general understanding of market practice for meat products. Guideline number 1.3.1 “Value-determining components” of the guidelines states that, where there is a sufficient content of connective-tissue-protein-free meat protein, neither the fat/meat protein ratio nor the water/meat protein ratio exceeds the “customary level”. Assessment practice showed that it was useful, on the basis of the basic parameters crude protein, fat and water, to propose further comparative values for the ratios of fat/meat protein and water/meat protein, so to speak as a supplement to the guidelines, as an expression of prevailing market practice. To calculate the proportion of added water (beyond the natural level)—where this must be stated to supplement the designation of the food or as an ingredient in the list of ingredients—and to calculate the meat content from the results of chemical analyses, the average natural water/meat protein ratios of the respective types of meat used are usually taken as the basis.

Assessment criteria as a PDF (2025 edition)