‘Valparc’

12, rue de Franche-Comté

25480 Ecole Valentin

FRANCE

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The introductory sentence to the description of the product, ‘“Saucisse de Morteau” and “Jésus de Morteau” have various characteristics:’, is deleted. This is an editorial amendment.

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The sentence ‘“Saucisse de Morteau” is a straight sausage with a regular, cylindrical form and a diameter of at least 40 mm (diameter of the casing at the time of filling) made from pork.’ is replaced by the sentence ‘“Saucisse de Morteau” is a straight sausage made from pork with a regular, cylindrical form and a minimum diameter (of the casing at the time of filling) of 34 mm for “Saucisse de Morteau” weighing less than 150 g, and 40 mm for “Saucisse de Morteau” weighing 150 g or more’. A lower minimum diameter of 34 mm is added. Adding this smaller diameter for sausages weighing 150 g or less allows the same size to be maintained for all ‘Saucisse de Morteau’, regardless of their measurements. As a result, ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ in its various sizes keeps the same proportions, as indicated by the description of the product (straight, with a regular, cylindrical form). The minimum diameter of 40 mm is retained for sausages weighing at least 150 g.

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The colouring of the casing is specified: the fact that ‘only its natural pigmentation is allowed’ is added for both ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ and ‘Jésus de Morteau’. The purpose of this amendment is to exclude only the artificial colouring of the casing, not its natural pigmentation.

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The following sentence is added: ‘The string used has shades of white, cream, ecru or beige’. The choice of a limited palette of close colours maintains the traditional visual aspect of the product and makes it easier to preserve anonymity during organoleptic checks.

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Details are provided on the shape of the small wooden stick. The following sentence is added: ‘It has the shape of a straight, circular cylinder, without any sharp ends.’. This description guarantees the same appearance for all ‘Saucisse de Morteau’.

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As regards ‘Jésus de Morteau’, the sentence ‘If a caecum casing is used, the small wooden stick is not always present as the caecum is naturally closed at one end.’ is replaced by: ‘“Jésus de Morteau” is closed by a small wooden stick at one end when a large intestine casing is used, though not always when a caecum casing is used.’. The reason is that the caecum is naturally closed at one end, so there is no need to close it twice.

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In the sentence ‘When cooked, each slice of “Saucisse de Morteau” and “Jésus de Morteau” has a coarsely minced yet uniform texture and is consistent and firm in appearance.’, the adjective ‘consistent’ is deleted, as it is not appropriate.

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A detailed list of the various forms of presentation allowed when marketing the product is added. Before the sentence ‘For reasons of food safety, the frozen, cooked or sliced product must be packaged when passed on to the consumer’, the following sentence is added: ‘“Saucisse de Morteau” and “Jésus de Morteau” are sold in raw or cooked form. They are sold whole or in slices. They are sold fresh, frozen, or deep-frozen, including pre-cooked frozen or deep-frozen.’. It is current practice to present the product in pre-cooked frozen or deep-frozen form, which is now codified.

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As regards its organoleptic characteristics, the sentence ‘The elements of the characteristic sensory profile of “Saucisse de Morteau” and “Jésus de Morteau” are the following in internal cross-section’ is replaced by: ‘The elements of the characteristic sensory profile of cooked “Saucisse de Morteau” or “Jésus de Morteau” are the following:’. It is clarified that the elements of the characteristic sensory profile relate to the cooked product, to avoid any ambiguity. This is because the product is only consumed after it has been cooked. The words ‘in internal cross-section’ are deleted, as they are inaccurate. The colour, for example, relates to the product’s exterior.

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A paragraph on recipes is deleted, as it does not provide useful information on the organoleptic characteristics.

The section of the Single Document on the description of the product is amended to take account of the amendments to the specification. The organoleptic characteristics are added in the Single Document to make the description more accurate.

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The introductory paragraph referring to two complementary traceability systems is deleted. The reason is that traceability is described for each step of the production process, and there is no need to point out that there is an in-house system for each company and a more general system.

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Sentences that are descriptive or not specific to the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ are deleted (e.g. ‘At this stage, the carcass is in line with the parameters of the specification’), as they do not contain any information on traceability.

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In the paragraph on traceability in pig farming, the category of ‘post-weaner-fattener’ is added. This category is included in the broader concept of ‘fattening units’ in the current specification. The words ‘in line with legislation’ and ‘in line with regulations’ are deleted, as they are not useful. They are replaced by ‘an indication of the site of birth’ required upon entry in the fattening unit and ‘an indication of their place of fattening’ required before slaughter. This wording aims to clarify the documents required for traceability in pig farming.

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The minimum duration for keeping documents is reduced from 5 to 3 years. This provision applies to the slaughterhouse, the cutting plant and the production plant. Three years is sufficient for inspection purposes, as the product has a lifespan of 90 days.

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Information on the traceability of casings has been added to ensure full traceability for the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’.

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The category of ‘meat wholesalers’ is added to the list of economic operators involved in the overall monitoring of the flow of raw materials, given their presence on the market for the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’. This addition guarantees the traceability of the product for this category.

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The gathering and transmission of information on the flow of raw materials are already specified in the current specification. It is clarified that such information can be transmitted at the request of the applicant group, guaranteeing consistency in the flow of raw materials among operators.

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The summary table on the elements of traceability is updated to take account of the changes made.

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The amended specification states that all pigs housed in a particular building are fed in line with the specification. This amendment is in line with practice and makes it easier to carry out inspections.

In the current specification, whey is the only compulsory milk product in the feed during the fattening phase. In the amended specification, whey may be partly replaced by other milk products with similar analytical characteristics, as they contain milk proteins, lactose and saturates. These milk products are available for pig feeding, and their use retains a link to the origin of the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’. This is because pig farming and dairy farming co-exist in the production area. This new list of milk products authorised in pig feeding does not alter the characteristics of the finished product.

Whey accounts for at least 50 % of the quantity of milk products and by-products. The rest is made up of one or more milk products (cream, milk, cheese, curd, yoghurt) or milk by-products (whey permeate, milk permeate, yoghurt whey, buttermilk).

An analytical characteristic of the milk products is added: the rate of total nitrogenous content must be greater than or equal to 4 g per 100 g of dry matter to allow only milk products that can provide the pigs with quality feed. An additional analytical characteristic is added for whey: the rate of lactose must be greater than or equal to 20 %, so as to select only the best whey.

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Regarding the requirement to fast the animals, a distinction is added according to whether slaughter is on the same day as, or the day after, loading (or later). If the animal is slaughtered the next day (or later), it will have been fasted for at least three hours before loading. This amendment helps avoid excessive fasting, which would be harmful to the animals’ well-being, not to mention the quality of the meat.

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The period of 30 minutes prior to anaesthesia during which the pigs are rinsed down before slaughter is deleted, because it is too precise and has no effect on the quality of the meat.

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The possibility not to spray the pigs upon arrival when the ambient external temperature is lower than +  10 °C is extended to spraying prior to anaesthesia to take account of the animals’ welfare. Spraying upon arrival and prior to anaesthesia can also be dispensed with in the event of night frost. This is for practical reasons, as the water pipes used for spraying must be drained in the event of frost.

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As regards blemishes of carcasses, the sentence ‘Blemishes are limited to 5 % for all carcases in a client batch.’ is replaced by ‘When selling carcasses to a customer, at most 5 % of the carcasses may have one or more blemishes.’. This new wording, which makes it easier for inspectors to understand the rule, does not change the substance of the sentence, as the maximum 5 % rate for blemishes is retained.

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The sentences ‘The ultimate pH (taken at least 18 hours after slaughter) falls within the range 5,50≤pH< 6,20. The measurement is taken 5 cm above the sirloin end at a depth of 2-3 cm.’ are deleted. The reason is that the pH measurement is relevant only for pieces of whole meat or for dry-cured meats. It is irrelevant for a product divided into pieces such as the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’. According to a study by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA — Vautier, A., Lebret, B., Brossard, L. (2006). Indicateurs de qualité de viande chez le porc. Importances respectives du pH ultime et du taux de lipides intramusculaires dans la détermination de la qualité sensorielle. http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/28922), the pH has an effect on the colour, tenderness and succulence of the meat, but not on the overall flavour or typical flavour, which are affected only by volatile compounds resulting from the breakdown of lipids.

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It is added that it is forbidden ‘to use mechanically separated meat and minced meat less than 8 mm in size’. Meat of this type, produced by means of a cutting technique using mechanical systems that recover the flesh that remains stuck to the bone after manual cutting, may physically resemble minced meat, but it does not comply with the specific characteristics of the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’. Meat that sticks to the bone has a different structure to the other pieces of meat of the animal. It is more stringy, due to everyday wear and tear, and less rich in fat, which are important factors for the texture of the sausage meat. This amendment involves the codification of current practice in the industry.

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The proportions of hard fat (‘15-35 % of the meat to be used in the mixture’) and lean meat (‘65-85 % of the meat to be used in the mixture’) that can be used are deleted. The reason for this amendment is that an examination of the fat content of the final product will show whether the proportion of fat and lean meat used is consistent and correct.

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In the current specification, the minimum rate of frozen raw materials per mixture is 15 %. This is replaced by a rate of 50 %. Comparative tests performed by an independent body showed that there was no change in the organoleptic characteristics of the finished product between the absence of frozen raw materials in the mixture and the use of 50 % frozen raw materials (Maisons du goût, test report No 13/55, p. 22). Moreover, the industry faces problems obtaining the raw material used to produce the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ during the summer period. The product is in considerable demand among consumers in summer. Yet most pig slaughtering is carried out in winter. In other words, consumer demand does not correlate with farming and slaughter practices. Increasing the maximum rate of frozen raw material per mixture from 15 % to 50 % would help satisfy the considerable demand for the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ in summer without any effect on farming practices.

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The maximum periods between thawing and mincing (‘within 24 hours of thawing’), and mincing and smoking (‘smoked within 24 hours of the thawed meat being minced’), are deleted, as they are superfluous to the general sanitary regulations in force.

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A maximum limit of cooking salt (NaCl) of 22 g/kg of mixture is added. This limit codifies the current practice among operators. Adding too much salt would give the product a pronounced salty taste not in keeping with the characteristics of the finished product.

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Glucose syrup is added to the list of sugars that may be included in the mixture as additives. Glucose syrup is similar to dextrose, which the specification already allows, especially in terms of its sweetening power. Its inclusion has no effect on the taste of the finished product.

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The terms ‘saltpetre’ and ‘nitrite salt’ are replaced by their official international nomenclature: ‘saltpetre’ is replaced by ‘E252’ and ‘nitrite salt’ by ‘E250’.

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References to ‘ascorbic acid (E300) and salts’ and to ‘rosemary and rosemary extract’ are added. These antioxidants help combat the risk of lipid peroxidation and instability of the colour, especially in sausages presented in slices and/or deep-frozen, without changing their characteristics. In doing so, they help preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the PGI. Rosemary (or rosemary extract) is used in very small doses for its anti-oxidising properties, not for its aromatic virtues.

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The rate of wine that can be added to the mixture is reduced from 8 % to 6,5 %. The 8 % rate is not applied by operators at present, who confine themselves to 6,5 %. This information has been added to the specification. Limiting the rate strengthens the product’s characteristics.

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The possibility of introducing water ‘in liquid form’ to help the additives spread throughout the mixture, or ‘in the form of ice’ to regulate the temperature, has been added. The rate of water added cannot exceed 3 %. The amount of water added is limited so as not to distort the nature of the finished product.

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It is pointed out that the temperature measured is the ‘ambient’ temperature.

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The maximum temperature for drying is raised from 30 °C to 40 °C. The purpose of drying is to prepare the surface of the casing for optimum smoking of the product. Limiting the maximum drying temperature to 30 °C does not always allow the sausage to reach an ambient smoking temperature capable of favouring smoking above undesirable compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

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The last two paragraphs, which merely explain the role of this optional stage of drying, were considered unnecessary and are deleted.

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Smoking is defined as the actual duration of exposure to smoke. Adding this definition provides clarification and corresponds to the practice among operators.

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Closely related to the above addition, the maximum duration for smoking in a conventional smokehouse is specified. The current specification does not set any minimum duration for all drying and smoking operations, whether outside or inside the smokehouse. This could result in insufficient time inside a conventional smokehouse. The current method of evaluating smoking time increases the microbiological risk. Setting a minimum smoking time inside a conventional smokehouse prevents any lengthy waiting period in the open air, which could be harmful to the quality of the product, and enables the product’s specific characteristics to be better regulated. A minimum smoking period of 6 hours has therefore been set where smoking occurs in a conventional smokehouse. Smoking is an essential operation in the production of ‘Saucisse de Morteau’. It must be a slow process.

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Minimum and maximum durations are also added when a traditional smokehouse and a conventional smokehouse are used successively for a single ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ or ‘Jésus de Morteau’, or vice versa. These requirements enable the basic operation of smoking to be better regulated. The minimum period for smoking within a conventional smokehouse is set at 3 hours, the maximum at 48 hours. For smoking in a ‘thué’, or traditional smokehouse, the minimum period is 12 hours, the maximum period 7 days.

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The fact that ‘The use of liquid smoke is forbidden’ is added. This is in keeping with the specific characteristics of the PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’, as only natural smoke from resinous wood is allowed.

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A maximum temperature of 40 °C for smoking in a conventional smokehouse is added. This helps prevent any deterioration in quality. The purpose of this amendment is to better comply with the specific characteristics of ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’.

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A descriptive, general paragraph on the purpose of smoking is deleted. It does not describe a stage in the production method and cannot lead to inspections.

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The presentation of the product in pre-cooked frozen or deep-frozen form is added to the specification. Long practised, it was overlooked when the specification was first drafted.

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The maximum temperature for preserving the product after freezing or deep-freezing is set at – 18 °C. This is a clarification.

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The maximum cooking temperature of 90 °C is deleted. This obligation makes no difference to the characteristics of the product sold, since the key element is the core temperature during cooking.

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For that reason, the following sentence is added: ‘The core temperature during cooking shall reach a minimum of 68 °C’. This sentence clarifies that it is a minimum temperature.

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The word ‘exclusively’ is added between the word ‘smoked’ and the words ‘in a ‘thué’ smokehouse’ to allow only operators performing the entire smoking process in a ‘thué’ to use the image of this type of smokehouse in their labelling. This is because when several types of smokehouse are used, the image of a ‘thué’ in the labelling could be misleading.

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To promote the individual labelling of each ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ or ‘Jésus de Morteau’, the following information is added to better inform consumers: ‘The producer must ensure compliance with the following rules on the positioning of the name under which the product is sold and the European symbol for Protected Geographical Indications. This name and European symbol shall be indicated in the following paragraphs on ‘Labelling’.

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Any PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ intended for distribution to consumers without pre-packaging shall bear an individual label attached to it.

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Any PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ intended for distribution to consumers pre-packaged and accompanied by products other than ‘Saucisse de Morteau’ in the pre-packaging shall bear an individual label.

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Any pre-packaging intended for consumers and containing one or more PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’, excluding any other product, shall contain at least one label, for example on the pre-packaging film, but there is no obligation to package each sausage individually.

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In the case of PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ intended for secondary processing, including in the catering industry, there is no obligation to package each sausage individually.’

These amendments to the specification have been carried over to the section of the Single Document on labelling.

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The contact details of the applicant group have been updated. Also, the composition of the applicant group is added.

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References to the inspection body have been updated in line with current national guidelines aimed at harmonising the drafting of specifications. Under this heading, the contact details of the authorities responsible for national inspections are now provided, i.e. the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) and the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF). The name and contact details of the certification body can now be consulted on the website of the INAO and the European Commission’s database.

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The main elements to be examined under the national requirements are updated to bring them into line with the amendments requested.

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Additions are made to the glossary.

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The annexes to the specification are deleted, as they do not contain any binding provisions.

The Single Document is revised in more general terms to bring it into line with current regulations.

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moisture content with fat removed: ≤ 75 %

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fat: ≤ 30 % for a moisture content of 75 %

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collagen/protein: ≤ 16 %

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sugar content: ≤ 1 % for a moisture content of 75 %

The elements of the characteristic sensory profile of the cooked PGI ‘Saucisse de Morteau’/‘Jésus de Morteau’ are the following:

— leg

— shoulder

— belly

— backfat

— loin

— trimmings (if used, the jowl must be prepared and not have any glands or red blotches)