ISO 23722:2021

Overview

ISO 23722:2021 - "Meat and meat products - Vocabulary" is an ISO international standard that establishes uniform terminology for meat and meat products. Published in 2021 by ISO/TC 34 (Food products), Subcommittee SC 6 (Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and their products), this vocabulary standard is applicable to the processing, trade and storage of meat and meat products. It provides clear, concise definitions that support consistent labeling, specification, quality control and regulatory communication across the meat industry.

Key topics

The standard defines terms across a wide range of meat‑industry concepts, including:

• Meat types and sources: beef, pork, poultry meat, lamb, mutton, veal, buffalo, goat, horse, rabbit, game meat.
• Product categories: fresh meat, chilled meat (internal temperature range after chilling: ≥ −1.5 °C to ≤ +7 °C), frozen meat (≤ −12 °C), deep‑frozen meat (≤ −18 °C), canned meat product, dried meat product (water activity ≤ 0.85), prepared meat product (stored at 4 °C or lower).
• Processing and preservation methods: cured meat, dry‑cured ham, smoked and roasted meat products, pickled and stewed products, fermented sausage, jerky, lachang.
• Sausage classifications: fresh sausage, cooked/smoked sausage, fermented sausage, dry sausage (25–50% moisture reduction), semi‑dry sausage (10–20% moisture reduction).
• Quality and defect terms: abnormal meat, pale soft exudative (PSE) meat, dark firm dry (DFD) meat, woody breast (white stripping).
• Special products and processes: mechanically separated meat (MSM), cultured meat, meat floss, burger/hamburger definitions.

Note: ISO 23722:2021 is a vocabulary standard (no normative references) and focuses on definitions rather than prescriptive processing requirements.

Applications

ISO 23722:2021 is practical for professionals who need consistent, industry‑accepted terminology:

• Food producers and meat processors - for product specifications, recipes and process documentation.
• Quality assurance and food safety teams - to standardize defect/condition reporting (PSE, DFD, woody breast).
• Traders, importers and exporters - to harmonize contract terms and product descriptions.
• Regulatory authorities and inspection bodies - to align inspection criteria and labelling.
• Standards writers, technical authors and translators - to ensure consistent terminology across documents and languages.
• Training and education - for teaching meat science, processing and cold‑chain management.

Related standards and resources

• Developed by ISO/TC 34 (Food products), Subcommittee SC 6 (Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and their products).
• ISO Online Browsing Platform and IEC Electropedia maintain terminology databases referenced by ISO 23722.
• Users may consult other ISO food standards and national regulations for prescriptive limits, testing methods and labeling rules.

Keywords: ISO 23722, meat vocabulary, meat terminology, meat standard, meat processing, meat storage, PSE, DFD, cultured meat, sausage classifications.