Mechanically separated meat

The process entails pureeing or grinding the carcass left after the manual removal of meat from the bones and then forcing the slurry through a sieve under pressure.

[5] Mechanically separated meat can only be used in a limited number of products (hot dogs are allowed, but hamburgers are not) up to 20% under the 1982 rule, and must be clearly labeled.

[7] Significant restrictions were later placed on mechanically separated beef due to concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as "mad cow disease".

Ultimately, products with mechanically separated beef were prohibited for human consumption since 2004: Due to FSIS regulations enacted in 2004 to protect consumers against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, mechanically separated beef is considered inedible and is prohibited for use as human food.

The EU tightened restrictions multiple times starting in 1989, to decrease the risk of spinal cord tissue getting into mechanically separated bovine meat.

[13] As of 1997, the European Union regulates MSM by the source material, fat (and peroxidation value), protein, and calcium content, bone particle sizes, and by how it is produced and stored.