Is Your Meat Made Of Scraps Stuck Together With “Meat Glue”?

Meat Glue - Food Poisoning

Meat glue is an enzyme called transglutaminase. Some meat glues are produced through the cultivation of bacteria, while others are made from the blood plasma of pigs and cows, specifically the coagulant that makes blood clot.

Meat glue is also used for pork, ham, lamb, chicken, imitation crab meat, fish products such as fish balls and processed meats.

When sprinkled on a protein, such as beef, it forms cross-linked, insoluble protein polymers that essentially acts like a super-glue, binding the pieces together with near invisible seams. The glue-covered meat is rolled up in plastic film, followed by refrigeration. Some manufacturers have gotten so proficient in the practice that even an expert butcher can't tell the difference between a piece of prime beef and one that's been glued together with bits and pieces of scraps!

Meat glue is also used for pork, ham, lamb, chicken, imitation crab meat, fish products such as fish balls and processed meats.

Just eating 50 grams (1.8 oz or 0.100 lbs) of processed meat daily can significantly raise your risk of bowel cancer. Processed meats also increase your risk of colon, bladder, stomach and pancreatic cancer.

The healthier meat choice is organic grass-fed meat. It should ideally come from a local farmer who can verify that the products are raised on pasture without antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. The animals should be allowed to live in their natural habitats, eating their natural diets (not grains!). Grain diets create a much higher level of acidity in the animal's stomach, which is exactly what the E.coli bacteria need to survive and thrive. Additionally, grass-finished animals live in clean grass pastures, as opposed to dirty, crowded pens, where higher levels of sanitation greatly reduce the risk of contamination as well.