EU Lawmakers Block ‘Meat Glue’ Authorisation

The European Parliament has voted to ban bovine and porcine thrombin used as a binding agent by some food processors.

The ‘meat glue’ has no proven benefit for consumers, according to MEPs.

Thrombin, an enzyme derived from pig or cattle blood plasma, can be used to connect separate pieces of reclaimed meat together, so that they appear to be one large slab.

In 2005, the European Food Safety Authority issued a positive opinion for its use, which led the European Commission to propose its addition to the positive list of additives in annex IV of directive 95/2/EC.

Under the commission’s proposal, meat products reconstituted with thrombin would have required labelling on the product.