Codex Committee on Meat (CCM)

The committee established in 1963 as the Codex Committee on Meat and Meat Products was mandated to elaborate proposals for the classification and grading of carcasses and cuts of beef, lamb, mutton, pork and veal, and for definitions, labelling and other requirements for such processed meat products. Germany was named as host. The Committee was to work closely with the standing Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Meat Hygiene, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, particularly, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). 

At the following CAC meeting, poultry was expressly excluded from the work of Cthe Committee and CAC3 saw the establishment of the Codex Committee on Poultry Meat under the aegis of the United States of America. That Committee was subsequently discontinued in 1969 at CAC6. 

The Committee would address a broad range of issues, including marking inks, boneless meat and anabolic agents. Issues around meat were sufficiently broad for the Committee to initially establish six subcommittees, covering subjects such as transportation and storage, cuts of carcasses, hygiene, additives, meat products and classification of carcasses. These were later reduced to just two sub-committees: Subcommittee I on Cutting Methods and Cuts of Carcasses, under the chairmanship of Germany and Subcommittee IV on Processed Meat Products and Consumer Packaged Meat, for which the Government of Denmark was responsible. 

Subcommittee I worked on preparing a catalogue of cuts moving in international trade and a Code of hygienic practice for fresh meat (CXC 58-2005). It was decided at CAC8 that work on this code of practice should be continued by a special Codex committee to be set up for this purpose, and thus the Codex Committee for Meat Hygiene (eventually, CCMPH) was established, Subcommittee I was discontinued andthe Committee’s terms of reference were amended. 

Subcommittee IV elaborated standards for processed meat such as canned hams, corned beef and others. At CAC7 it was decided to establish this Subcommittee as a Codex committee in its own right; to be known as the Codex Committee for Processed Meat Products (eventually, CCPMPP) and so the Committee was renamed to become simply the Codex Committee on Meat (CCM). 

CCM was adjourned sine die in 1978, at CAC12, and dissolved at CAC16.