Examples of different definitions of meat

Meat includes edible parts of the animals listed below, including blood:  

• '"Domestic ungulates" means domestic bovine (including Bubalus and Bison species), porcine, ovine and caprine animals, and domestic solipeds.
• "Poultry" means farmed birds, including birds that are not considered as domestic but which are farmed as domestic animals, with the exception of ratites.
• "Lagomorphs" means rabbits, hares and rodents.
• "Wild game" means:
  • wild ungulates and lagomorphs, as well as other land mammals that are hunted for human consumption and are considered to be wild game under the applicable law in the Member State concerned, including mammals living in enclosed territory under conditions of freedom similar to those of wild game; and
  • wild birds that are hunted for human consumption.
• "Farmed game" means farmed ratites and farmed land mammals other than those referred in “domestic ungulates”.
• "Small wild game" means wild game birds and lagomorphs living freely in the wild.
• "Large wild game" means wild land mammals living freely in the wild that do not fall within the definition of small wild game.’

Meat products refer to ‘processed products, resulting from the processing of meat or from the further processing of such processed products, so that the cut surface shows that the product no longer has the characteristics of fresh meat’. 

Meat is defined as ‘all parts of an animal that are intended for, or have been judged as safe and suitable for, human consumption’.

Fresh meat is defined as meat that ‘apart from refrigeration has not been treated for the purpose of preservation other than through protective packaging and which retains its natural characteristics’.

Wild game includes wild land mammals and birds which are hunted.

Red meat refers to ‘all mammalian muscle meat, including, beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat.’

Processed meat refers to ‘meat that has been transformed through salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. Most processed meats contain pork or beef, but processed meats may also contain other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood. Examples of processed meat include hot dogs (frankfurters), ham, sausages, corned beef, and biltong or beef jerky as well as canned meat and meat-based preparations and sauces’. 

Red meat refers to ‘fresh unprocessed mammalian muscle meat (e.g. beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, or goat meat), which may be minced or frozen, and is usually consumed cooked.’

Processed meat refers to ‘any meat that has been transformed through one or several of the following processes: salting, curing, fermentation, smoking, or other processes to enhance flavour or improve preservation. Most processed meats are made from pork or beef, but may also include other red meats, poultry, offal, or meat by-products such as blood. It is also important to distinguish between industrial processing and household preparations.’

Cured meat pieces include ‘raw beef, raw ham, cooked beef, cooked ham, corned beef, and bacon. Curing is a process by which the meat is treated with a small amount of salt (sodium chloride, NaCl, with or without potassium chloride, KCl), with or without nitrate or nitrite salts. Curing enhances shelf-life by preserving and preventing the spoilage of meat.’ 

Offal refers to ‘the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal (scrotum, small intestine, heart, brain, kidney, liver, thymus, pancreas, testicle, tongue, tripe, or stomach) consumed as such.’ The IARC Working Group considered offal as red meat.