What is Advanced Meat Recovery?
AMR is an industrial technology that removes muscle tissue from the bone of beef carcasses under high pressure without incorporating bone material when operated properly. AMR products can be labeled as “meat.” FSIS has previously had regulations in place that prohibit spinal cord from being included in products labeled as “meat.” An FSIS regulation published January 8, 2004, expands that prohibition to include dorsal root ganglia, and clusters of nerve cells connected to the spinal cord along the vertebrae column, in addition to spinal cord tissue. Like the spinal cord, the dorsal root ganglia may also contain BSE infectivity if the animal is infected. In addition, because the vertebral column and skull in cattle 30 months and older will be considered inedible, it cannot be used for AMR.
