Russian companies are reported to be increasingly using a food additive that is banned in the country—"meat glue" or transglutaminase—to cut production costs.
Citing data from Rosselkhoznadzor, the state agricultural safety agency, and public health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday that there were 25 cases of the substance being used by producers of meat and dairy products in 2023. It added that this figure is twice as many as in 2022, while 28 cases have already been recorded in the first half of 2024.
A long list of imports—such as cheese, fish and meat from EU countries—have been banned in Russia for two years in an apparent response to Western sanctions on Russian pro-Kremlin officials and enterprises over Russia's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
The food additive "meat glue" is an enzyme that can be used to increase the volume of food products; bind pieces of meat together to form larger pieces; and improve the texture of foodstuffs such as cheese. It has been banned for use in food production in Russia since 2020, but is reportedly still easily able to be purchased online.
Transglutaminase was also banned by the European Union in 2010, according to Food Safety News. It is still permitted for use in the United States.
The Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest nonprofit watchdog and consumer advocacy group said in February 2022 that it considers transglutaminase a potential safety risk. This is because "binding two pieces of food together puts into the protected center of meat or seafood any bacteria that were on the outside of a piece and, hence, easily killed in cooking."
This year, the food additive was found in food products produced by Russia's Dubki Plant LLC, Atyashevsky Meat Processing Complex LLC, Altayskaya Burenka LLC, Mitek Meat Processing Plant LLC, Ostankino Meat Processing Plant JSC, Bryansk Meat Processing Plant JSC, Iceberg-Lux PC LLC and other enterprises, the newspaper reported.
"According to current legislation, microbial transglutaminase is not included in the list of food additives permitted for use in production," Rospotrebnadzor told Izvestia.
"This enzyme is used by unscrupulous manufacturers in the production of cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, meat products in order to increase the mass by up to 25% due to moisture retention, as well as to connect ('glue') animal and vegetable proteins, which is used by manufacturers," the agency added.
Rospotrebnadzor said it was constantly monitoring the quality and safety of food products in Russia.
"From April 2022 to May 2024, Rosselkhoznadzor and Rospotrebnadzor caught more than 50 manufacturers of meat and dairy products using it (including those previously held accountable for this)," Oleg Pavlov, head of Russia's Public Consumer Initiative (OPI) and deputy chairman of Rospotrebnadzor, told Izvestia newspaper.
Pavlov said dozens of companies are currently selling meat glue for wholesale and retail purchase. He said he has filed an appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office to ask for the substance to be withdrawn from the market.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
