Food and Feed Authenticity Expert Working Group

Nitrogen Factors Sub-committee

Aims and Intentions

Labelling rules require that where ingredients are highlighted in the name of the food, the amount of that ingredient must be declared as a percentage of the final product (QUID- quantitative ingredient declaration). Although the amount of an ingredient is calculated on a recipe basis, enforcement authorities usually check the declaration by analysis of the finished product.

The analysis determines the nitrogen (mainly on a fat free basis) of meat or fish ingredient, and converts this to a meat or fish content using a previously determined nitrogen factor. The Sub-committee oversees the determination of nitrogen factors for meat, poultry and seafood for use by both enforcement laboratories to check labelling and by industry to check their meat and seafood raw materials.

The Subcommittee has already produced reports on nitrogen factors for pork (1991), beef (1993), mutton and lamb (1995, 1996), chicken (2000), scampi (2000), turkey (2002) and cod fillet and mince blocks for coated fish products (2007).

Its continuing programme of work is to determine meat and seafood ingredients, which are important to the UK market for meat and seafood products.