"Step into (or maybe out of) 'Mechanically Separated Chicken'"


Step into, or out of...
I was on a trip with some buds, on our way to WVA to meet up with an old friend. On the way, we made the classic pit stops at fast food places (which I did not invest time or money in) and the gas station lunch. One of our friends enjoys a good old slim jim, and while back on the road, shared the ingredients. Our favorite one consisted of "Mechanically Separated Chicken". What?! We all hear rumors about hot dogs, meat, and other ingredients in food nowadays that cause you to think twice about what you buy off shelves/which products. I performed some research, and discovered some interesting information. Like usual, the more you find out, the less you want to eat just about anything. Get you some,...mystery meat!

"Do you know what MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN (or mechanically separated turkey, or pork) is? You may think it is just chicken that is separated mechanically, right? NOPE! It is actually the stripped carcass of the bird. Stripped as in all meat has been removed and the only thing left is the tissue, immature sex glands and bone. They take this carcass and, at a high temperature, push it through a sieve. This creates a gray past that then can be used in foods. I was appalled to learn this. I was even more appalled when I learned it is found in most pantries. For example, CAMPBELL'S CREAM OF CHICKEN, most frozen meatballs, some deli meats, just about all chicken and turkey franks, turkey bacon etc. (EDITOR'S NOTE: It is also a major component of one of my favorite comfort foods: Slim Jims.) My question: why would companies like Campbell's be using mechanically separated chicken in Cream of Chicken soup? It doesn't contain an enormous amount of chicken that Campbell's feel they need to cut corners. And shouldn't consumers be made aware of what mechanically separated chicken is? Maybe you can help get the word out. I think you will surprise MANY of your readers. (ediets.com article)"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat - "Mechanically separated meat (MSM), also known as mechanically recovered/reclaimed meat (MRM), is a paste-like meat product produced by forcing beef, pork or chicken bones, with attached edible meat, under high pressure through a sieve or similar device to separate the bone from the edible meat tissue."
Yum!

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