MLA | Red Meat & Nutrition Common

Glossary

Energy

The ability to do work, which can be chemical energy (in food), mechanical energy (muscular activity) or thermal energy (body heat). Measured in kilojoules or calories.

External separable fat

The visible fat on the outside of meat, which can be easily removed, and is also called selvedge or subcutaneous fat.

Fresh meat

Meat that consists of both lean tissue (muscle) and fat tissue, which can be either distributed throughout the muscle as marbling (internal fat) or surrounding the muscle meat as selvedge or external fat.

Internal separable fat

The visible fat that can be easily removed between muscles; hence it is also called intermuscular fat.

Lean red meat

Represents red meat that is trimmed of all external or selvedge fat and has minimal internal separable or intermuscular fat.

Nutrition composition

The set of nutrient data, or a nutrient profile, for a food product.

Nutrition Information Panel (NIP)

Nutrition Information Panels or NIPs are placed on foods on a voluntary basis to inform consumers of the nutrient composition of different foods.

Marbling

The visible fat within the muscles in meat, which cannot be easily removed.

Meat

The whole or part of the carcass of any buffalo, camel, cattle, deer, goat, hare, pig, poultry, rabbit or sheep, slaughtered other than in a wild state, but does not include eggs, or foetuses.

Processed meat

A product containing no less than 30% meat, that has undergone a method of preservation other than freezing, and includes manufactured meat and cured and/or dried meat flesh (eg, sausages, salami, canned meats).

Red meat

Meat from cattle, sheep and goat (ie beef, veal, lamb, mutton and goat meat).

Semi-trimmed red meat

Represents red meat that has been trimmed of all external or selvedge fat, but still has internal separable fat.

Separable fat

The white flaky fat on meat that can easily be removed from the muscle with a knife. There are two types of separable fat – external and internal separable fat.

Separable lean

This is the muscle meat, with no separable fat.

Untrimmed red meat

This is red meat that still has external and internal separable fat.