15 April 2011

Transglutaminase (TG) is used in New Zealand restaurants purely for portion control and not to ‘glue scraps of meat together’.

Comments made by Sue Kedgley insisting ‘meat scraps are glued together to make prime cuts’ are inaccurate.

It is not correct that TG was banned in Europe.

The use of TG in New Zealand is to top and tail two tenderloins to create a consistent size for portion control.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Rod Slater, says the practice is not misleading to consumers and it is not used by any supermarkets or independent butchers.

“Consumers are not being sold trim which has been bonded to create a prime cut. The process used in New Zealand bonds two tenderloins together to create a well portioned cut,” says Slater.

Significant research into TG has found there is no health concerns associated with the product and TG is almost entirely depleted from the meat as a result of cooking.

TG is widely used in many areas of the food industry, such as the manufacturing of bread.

The product is made of a naturally occurring enzyme which is found in vegetables, fish, beef, pork and poultry.

ENDS

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