Kazakhstan has proposed developing the 1st International Organization for Standardization (ISO) international standard for ready-to-eat horse meat products. The proposed standard may cover traditional Kazakh products, including kazy, shuzhuk, zhal and zhaya, El.kz reports citing the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration.
Kazakhstan proposes briging horse meat products to intl level
The initiative was presented in Astana during the Meat Product Quality Forum, held as part of a plenary session of ISO/TC 34/SC 6. The event brought together representatives of the International Organization for Standardization, government authorities, businesses, research institutions and industry experts.
The forum was organized by the Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan and the KazStandard Republican State Enterprise. One of the key topics was Kazakhstan’s role in international standardization and the promotion of national standardization initiatives.
Why Kazakhstan needs a separate standard
At present, there is no unified international standard governing ready-to-eat horse meat products. As a result, requirements for terminology, classification, labelling and product quality assessment may vary from country to country.
Such differences may create additional challenges for producers seeking to export horse meat products. An international standard would establish a harmonized approach to requirements applicable to this category of products.
Kazy and shuzhuk maybe included in the intl standard
The proposed standard is intended to cover traditional horse meat products that are widely recognized as part of Kazakh cuisine. These include kazy, shuzhuk, zhal and zhaya.
For producers, the introduction of a unified standard could facilitate access to foreign markets. Harmonized requirements would provide greater clarity regarding product characteristics, classification criteria and approaches to quality assessment.
Kazakhstan is also prepared to establish and lead an international working group responsible for developing the draft standard. The document would subsequently be submitted for consideration by countries where horse meat products are also produced.
