How are Some Chicken Nuggets Made?
It wasn't that long ago that Pink Slime was all the talk in the news. What people may not know is that the "Pink Slime" that everyone heard on the news is now known as mechanically separated meat.
How it Works
Mechanically Separated chicken is the process where meat, that is still attached to bones is removed through grinding or centrifugal force (Say what???). This force is basically something that spins super fast and separates bone and meat, creating a new product... aka the beginning of the modern day chicken nugget.
Removed from the Label, but still there
Following the backlash of this news, mechanically separated meat was removed from the ingredient labels, but it doesn't mean the product still isn't made. It is in fact still very much in production, but the name has been changed, sneaky sneaky right?
In poultry production after your breast, thighs, drums, and wings have been broken down you are left with the chicken back, or as those of us in the industry call it, the frame.
For our chickens we save our backs and have them either packaged for home use to boil and make broth, or we have our bone broth company make big batches of broth and package it for a ready for home use.
What do the Big guys do with 9 billion backs a year!?!
They create a NEW ingredient called the "Chicken Breast with Rib Meat". It's the first ingredient on many chicken nugget packages. What is deceptive though is that this term can actually mean several things...
- That it is actually a chicken breast with the back attached, also known as a bone-in chicken breast..or.....
- The 2nd thing it could mean it is the mechanically separated chicken we described above.
Although this is now a real ingredient, its deceptive right? Many people would think this is a cut of meat, and in reality you don't know what you are getting.
Chicken Breast with Rib Meat could be a bone-in breast, or it could actually be made from the ground up meat and bones from the chicken backs and leftover carcasses.
Larger corporations are deceptive, they use words like breasts to make families think their product is actually healthy and pure, when in reality its leftover meat and bone paste.
The frustration with this is that you never know what you are buying, because as soon as you dig in and question the term or practice, they just change the name or the regulation to market people like us something "new".
Would you buy Nugget Paste?
The truth is Bigger companies know how to market their product, work with legislatures to create knew terms and processes and at the end of the day they know how to sell meat and make money. We believe there should be truth in labeling. This is why our ground chicken products are always whole muscle cuts, no bones or tendons, no BS. Our chicken patties and tenders make great alternatives to these ground-up chicken products. When you shop with Covey Rise Farms, you know what is in your meat, we never mislabel, or try to be deceptive with our terms, practices, or cuts.
Are all Chicken Nuggets made like this?
No, some are whole mussels and some are ground meat.
When you buy meat directly from the farmer, you know where your meat came from and what was in it. I know busy weekdays, and meal prepping can be hard, and grocery delivery service is another weight off of your shoulders. However if sourcing meat directly from a farm is something your family would like to pursue, we would be happy to recommend farm's in your area for a direct source to meat for your family. Many of them ship directly to your door or offer home delivery.