The Top 5 Dirty Secrets Of The Corporate Meat Industry
They Dye Meat To Make It Appear Fresh In Supermarkets
It’s true, red meat sold in supermarkets is often treated with dyes or chemicals to make it appear fresher than it actually is. Not only is this just plain gross, it can also pose health risks. For one thing, meat turns brown as a result of it going past its prime.
Who wants to eat old meat that was butchered weeks or even months ago, just sitting in the refrigerator at the store? This fools people into thinking that the meat is fresh and good to eat when it’s really just an illusion. Also, some of these dyes have been shown to contain petrochemicals, which can cause severe asthma attacks. Better to avoid the supermarket entirely, and order from one of the best meat delivery services.
Also Read: What Sets Us Apart From The Best Meat Delivery Services
They Inject Chicken With Saline Solution, And Lots Of It
It’s common practice in the chicken industry for meat to be injected with saline solution in order to make it stay juicier and appear plumper. Manufacturers of conventionally produced chicken do this because many of these birds have been bred to have abnormally large breasts resulting in dryer meat with less fat.
Studies have shown that injected saline can account for the weight of anywhere from 15-30% of the chicken meat you buy. None of our meat is ever injected with anything. Order chicken for home delivery from the Beck & Bulow name you trust.
What’s more concerning is that the meat can still be labeled as all natural or organic, as long as the injected material is considered natural - which isn’t too difficult since saline solution is salt water. Saline solution adds a ton of sodium content to chicken and drastically decreases the nutrient density. It’s pretty misleading to buy an organic product and then find out that it’s been altered in such a sneaky way. Check out our selections and order truly natural chicken online.
Also Read: Grass-Fed & Finished Beef: Our Latest Offering
Seafood Fraud: Mislabeled Fish In Stores & Restaurants
In a large study where scientists tested the DNA of approximately 1200 samples of fish sold in over 700 restaurants and stores, the results were shocking. One out of every three fish was being sold as a different species than it actually was. Fish is particularly susceptible to this type of fraud, in particular red snapper - 94% of the time people ordered this fish they actually received something different like tile fish or tilapia.
Tile fish is high enough in mercury that it’s on the FDA’s do not eat list for pregnant women. Grouper is another common mislabeled fish. The problem is, most people can’t tell the difference between one species of white fish filet versus another. This is just another manifestation of our cultural detachment from where our food comes from - sometimes, we don’t even know what it is we’re actually eating. Pretty gross, right?
Also Read: Our Guide To Buying Wild Meat Online For The First Time
The Misleading Requirements For “Free Range” Labeling
The secrets don’t stop when you turn to buying meat that has promising sounding labeling on the package. Some labeling can be incredibly misleading, and it’s pretty wild just how much leeway there is with this stuff. For example, for meat or eggs to be labeled “free range”, you would think that the animals would be exactly that.
Roaming free, grazing and foraging and generally behaving the same way they would in the wild. That’s how our free range animals are actually raised - free and living outdoors with minimal handling. When you buy meat online, it’s important to know what you’re actually getting.
But the US Department of Agriculture has barely any requirements for this labeling to be used. The animals just have to get some type of exposure to the outdoors - and there’s not even a minimum amount of time required. So they can essentially still be raised in factory farming settings, as long as they see the light of day for a few minutes every once in a while. When you order free range products from the best online meat supplier, you know that our animals live as close to wild as possible.
Also Read: Our Local Butchers: Traditional Masters Of Their Craft
…And More Misleading Requirements for “Grass Fed” Labeling
Unfortunately, these same shady tactics are used for meat that’s labeled as grass fed. While you might imagine that this label means that the animals eat grass outside in lush pastures, the only requirement is that the animals were eating grass at SOME POINT in their lives. And the truth is, almost all cows that are raised for meat start out on ranches, grazing grass once they’re weaned.
When they’re the right age for finishing, they’re often shipped off to a major industrial feedlot where they are fattened up as much as possible before slaughtering. You think you’re buying well sourced meat, but you’re just being deceived. Our meat goes above and beyond these labeling requirements. We’re your trusted source for true grass fed meat delivery, and we hope that you love our products as much as we do.