U.S. MEAT PROCESSORS ASK FOR LABELLING CHANGE Four U.S. meat processors have asked the federal government to relax a labelling requirement which they said discourages the use of mechanically separated meat, the U.S. Agriculture Department said. The petition, filed by Bob Evans Farms, Odom Sausage Co, Sara Lee Corp and Owens Country Sausage, asks USDA to allow mechanically separated meat to be listed on product labels as the species from which it was derived. For example, "pork" would be listed on the ingredients statement instead of "mechanically separated pork." Under the petition, the calcium content of the meat product would have to be stated on the label and the mechanically separated meat could constitute no more than 10 pct of the meat and poultry portion of the product. Mechanically separated meat is a high-protein, low-cost product that has been approved for use since 1978, USDA said. Current regulations allow use of mechanically separated ingredients at levels up to 20 pct of the meat and poultry product, but require it to be listed in the ingredient statement as "mechanically separated (species)," USDA said. USDA said the petitioning firms claimed companies avoid using mechanically separated meat in their products because the term carries an "unwarranted negative connotation" in the minds of many consumers. The petitioners also noted that no similar regulation exists for poultry products. Mechanically separated meat is made by placing carcass parts, which usually have been hand-trimmed but still have some remaining meat, into specialized processing equipment.