A food company has been forced to call its meatballs simply 'balls ' - because they do n't contain enough 'proper ' meat . Finnish food giant Kesko changed the name on its website after authorities insisted its meatballs did not meet regulations because they are made from mechanically separated meat ( MSM ) . MSM is taken from the bone after the desired meat cuts are removed . It can be referred to as 'white slime ' . Finnish food company Kesko has been forced to call its meatballs ( above ) simply 'balls ' - because they do n't contain enough 'proper ' meat . A spokesman for Kesko said : 'The balls have the equivalent of 52 per cent meat . 'However , according to current legislation , they are n't from parts of the animal that can be described as meat . ' The company added that it was not misleading customers because the type of meat it uses is 'well-suited ' to ground meat products , YLE reported . The other 48 per cent of Kesko 's 'balls ' are made from wheat flour , potato flour and soya protein , as well as rapeseed oil , salt and other additives . A spokesman for Kesko said the meat it uses is mechanically separated from the bone after the desired meat cuts are removed . Scrap pork is also used . Above , a stock photo of cooked meatballs . Matti Kalervo , vice-president of corporate relations for Kesko , told The Times the company sells meatballs with more meat in , but they are more expensive . He said : 'This is a price-factor product . It was meant to be a very reasonable price . ' The use of MSM was banned in the UK in 2012 . It was used widely in beef burgers and ready meals . At the time the British Meat Processors Association described it as a 'criminal waste of a valuable product ' .
Kesko changed description as product did not contain enough proper meat . 'Balls ' have 48 per cent meat but most of it is mechanically separated .