Meat is the animal tissue used as food, including the flesh of domestic mammals, poultry, game birds and game animals. It is composed of lean muscle, connective tissue, fats, skin, nerves, blood vessels and water, and is classified as red or white according to colour intensity, which reflects myoglobin content. Meat is a major dietary source of high-quality protein, B vitamins (especially B12), iron and zinc. As a highly perishable and potentially hazardous food, it demands hygienic slaughter and dressing, rapid chilling, cold-chain integrity and thorough cooking or validated curing, fermentation or drying; inspection systems and HACCP control pathogens such as Salmonella, pathogenic E. coli and Listeria monocytogenes.