Whether you call it a
frankfurter, hot dog, wiener, or
bologna, it's a cooked sausage
and a year-round favorite. They
can be made from beef, pork,
turkey, chicken, or a
combination — the label must
state which. And there are
Federal standards of identity
for their content.
जोड़ना
Definitions
Frankfurters (a.k.a., hot dogs,
wieners, or bologna) are cooked
and/or smoked sausages according
to the Federal standards of
identity. Federal standards of
identity describe the
requirements for processors to
follow in formulating and
marketing meat, poultry, and egg
products produced in the United
States for sale in this country
and in foreign commerce. The
standard also requires that they
be comminuted (reduced to minute
particles), semisolid products
made from one or more kinds of
raw skeletal muscle from
livestock (like beef or pork),
and may contain poultry meat.
Smoking and curing ingredients
contribute to flavor, color, and
preservation of the product.
They are link-shaped and come in
all sizes — short, long, thin,
and chubby.
The most popular of all
categories, the skinless
varieties, have been stripped of
their casings after cooking.
Water or ice, or both, may be
used to facilitate chopping or
mixing or to dissolve curing
ingredients. The finished
products may not contain more
than 30% fat or no more than 10%
water, or a combination of 40%
fat and added water. Up to 3.5%
non-meat binders and extenders
(such as nonfat dry milk,
cereal, or dried whole milk) or
2% isolated soy protein may be
used, but must be shown in the
ingredients statement on the
product's label by its common
name.
Casings
Some hot dogs have a casing, or
a thin skin. If the species of
the casing is different than
that of the hot dog, the label
must say so. For example, if a
turkey hot dog has a pork
casing, the label must list the
pork casing on the ingredients
list. If the casing is
artificially colored, the label
must indicate this
as well.
Byproducts, Variety
Meats
"Frankfurter, Hot Dog, Wiener,
or Bologna With Byproducts" or
"With Variety Meats" are made
according to the specifications
for cooked and/or smoked
sausages (see above), except
they consist of not less than
15% of one or more kinds of raw
skeletal muscle meat with raw
meat byproducts. The byproducts
(heart, kidney, or liver, for
example) must be named with the
derived species and be
individually named in the
ingredients statement.
Species
Beef Franks or Pork Franks are
cooked and/or smoked sausage
products made according to the
specifications above, but with
meat from a single species and
do not include byproducts.
Turkey Franks or Chicken Franks
can contain turkey or chicken
and turkey or chicken skin and
fat in proportion to a turkey or
chicken carcass.
Ingredients Statement
All ingredients in the product
must be listed in the
ingredients statement in order
of predominance, from highest to
lowest amounts.
"Meat" Derived By
Advanced Meat Bone Separation
and Meat Recovery Systems
The definition of "meat" was
amended in December 1994 to
include any "meat" product that
is produced by advanced
meat/bone separation machinery.
This meat is comparable in
appearance, texture, and
composition to meat trimmings
and similar meat products
derived by hand. This machinery
separates meat from bone by
scraping, shaving, or pressing
the meat from the bone without
breaking or grinding the bone.
Product produced by advanced
meat recovery (AMR) machinery
can be labeled using terms
associated with hand-deboned
product (e.g., "pork trimmings"
and "ground pork").
The AMR machinery cannot grind,
crush, or pulverize bones to
remove edible meat tissue, and
bones must emerge essentially
intact. The meat produced in
this manner can contain no more
than 150 milligrams (mg) of
calcium per 100 grams product
(within a tolerance of 30 mg. of
calcium). Products that exceed
the calcium content limit must
be labeled "mechanically
separated pork" in the
ingredients statement.
Mechanically Separated
Meat (MSM)
Mechanically separated meat is a
paste-like and batter-like meat
product produced by forcing
bones, with attached edible
meat, under high pressure
through a sieve or similar
device to separate the bone from
the edible meat tissue.
In 1982, a final rule published
by FSIS on mechanically
separated meat said it was safe
and established a standard of
identity for the food product.
Some restrictions were made on
how much can be used and the
type of products in which it can
be used. These restrictions were
based on concerns for limited
intake of certain components in
MSM, like calcium. Due
to FSIS regulations enacted in
2004 to protect consumers
against Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy, mechanically
separated beef is considered
inedible and is prohibited for
use as human food. It is not
permitted in hot dogs or any
other processed product.
Mechanically separated pork is
permitted and must be labeled as
"mechanically separated pork" in
the ingredients statement. Hot
dogs can contain no more than
20% mechanically separated pork.
Mechanically Separated
Poultry (MSP)
Mechanically separated poultry
is a paste-like and batter-like
poultry product produced by
forcing bones, with attached
edible tissue, through a sieve
or similar device under high
pressure to separate bone from
the edible tissue. Mechanically
separated poultry has been used
in poultry products since the
late 1960's. In 1995, a final
rule on mechanically separated
poultry said it was safe and
could be used without
restrictions. However, it must
be labeled as "mechanically
separated chicken or turkey" in
the product's ingredients
statement. The final rule became
effective November 4, 1996. Hot
dogs can contain any amount of
mechanically separated chicken
or turkey.
Food Product Dating
Terms
The labeling on a package of hot
dogs may contain one of several
different types of dates.
Product dating is voluntary and
not required by Federal
regulations. If a date is used,
it must also state what the date
means.
-
"Sell-By"
date tells the store how
long to display the product
for sale. You should buy the
product before the date
expires.
-
"Use-By"
date is the last date
recommended for use of the
product while at peak
quality. This date has been
determined by the
manufacturer of the product.
-
"Best if Used By
(or Before)" date
helps consumers by stating a
precise date for best flavor
or quality.
-
"Expiration
Date" helps stores
and consumers by stating the
shelf-life or the last day
product should be used while
it is wholesome.
Safety After Date
Expires
Except for "Use-By" dates,
product dates don't refer to
home storage and use after
purchase. If a "Sell-By," "Best
if Used By (or Before)," or
"Expiration Date" date expires
during home storage, a product
should be safe and wholesome if
handled safely and kept at 40 °F
or below.
Food Safety Guidelines
The same general food safety
guidelines apply to hot dogs as
to all perishable products —
"Keep hot food hot and cold food
cold."
Although hot dogs are fully
cooked, those at increased risk
of foodborne illness should
reheat hot dogs and luncheon
meat until steaming hot before
eating, due to the threat of
listeriosis.
When you leave the grocery store
with hot dogs, head straight
home and refrigerate or freeze
them immediately. If there is no
product date, hot dogs can be
safely stored in the unopened
package for 2 weeks in the
refrigerator; once opened, only
1 week. For maximum quality,
freeze hot dogs no longer than 1
or 2 months. And, of course,
never leave hot dogs at room
temperature for more than 2
hours and no more than 1 hour
when the temperature goes above
90 °F.
