Encyclopedia Entry Demonstration Information

Here are the standards for Poultry Containing Skin/Poultry Meat and Skin - gathered from multiple regulatory sources, interpreted by years of practical experience, and written in easy to understand language. Referencing this enclopedia could easily become an essential first step in your new product formulation process.

It is common for processors to combine poultry meat and skin from separate sources, instead of taking the meat/skin combination directly from the bird. For example, poultry skin removed during the production of a chicken breast tender might be added to small pieces of chicken meat when making a chicken patty. For this reason, the percent skin in the combination may exceed natural proportions.

When the percent skin in the skin-meat combination does not exceed natural proportions, it is acceptable to declare the combination simply as "chicken" or "turkey" in the product name. If the percent skin exceeds natural proportions, this fact must be noted in a qualifier, such as "skin added."

9 CFR 318.117(d)

For poultry included in a product name without reference to a particular part, the natural proportions of skin are as follows:

Type of Poultry	Natural Proportion of Skin, Raw	Natural Proportion of Skin, Cooked
Chicken	20%	25%
Turkey	15%	20%

When poultry "meat" ("chicken meat" or "turkey meat") is listed in a product name or as an ingredient, it is assumed that the meat is skinless. If any skin is present in a product where poultry "meat" appears in the product name, the presence of the skin must be noted in a qualifier ("Skin added"). This qualifier is considered part of the product name; as such, no letter of the qualifier may be smaller than 1/3 the size of the largest letter in the product name (see 9 CFR 381.118(b)).

Certain poultry products (see 9 CFR 381.168) may not contain skin in excess of natural proportions. This stipulation also applies to comminuted poultry with a further designation (such as "Ground Turkey Thighs").