If they told you that the meat you buy at the supermarket costs 0.50 euros/kg, how would you react?
Would you buy it again? I don’t think so! And that, after this news, the next time you go shopping in a supermarket you’ll think twice about buying packaged meat products.
The meat I am talking about is what I am talking about is what I am called ‘mechanically separated meat’ or CSM. This costs the producer from 0.3 to 0.6 euros /kg and is resold in supermarkets at prices ranging from 4 to 7 euros/kg. With a very bad quality/price ratio, in fact some products have a higher price than meat and fresh fish.
But what does “mechanically separated” mean? It means that these products are obtained from the processing of meat that until not so long ago was considered processing waste.
In fact, starting from the meat that remains attached to the bones of chickens, turkeys and pigs, through high pressure processes, the so-called “pink mash” is formed which is nothing more than a dough that contains these pieces of meat along with parts of nerves, cartilage and bone fragments. This dough is then washed with solutions containing ammonia to whiten it and then added with dyes, aromas and preservatives to make it edible and appreciated on the consumer’s palate. poi
Attention to what we buy
You can realize that it is not a very “natural” process by which to prepare packaged foods and in any case the result is not the best; for example, if you are a lovers of cordon-bleu try to compare the taste of a packaged one with one prepared at home using a slice of chicken breast and you will immediately notice the difference and savings! poi
This type of meat is also more subject to microbial contamination and the cause is precisely the method of production, in fact already in recent years many European companies (including Italian ones) have been subject to sanctions because precautions were not guaranteed in the factories to avoid contamination of these products, in fact pink mash is very delicate and subject to contamination by bacteria such as Salmonella. poi
So if I have to choose what to put in the shopping cart I would be careful not to buy packaged foods that bear on the label, among the ingredients, the words ‘ mechanically separated meat’ or CSM as the benefits of these products go only in the direction of producers and not consumers. poi
As has already been said on other occasions if you want to eat meat it is preferable to buy it fresh and organically derived in one of the many points of sale or from a trusted farmer, this can be a choice that also brings benefits to your health! poi
Good expense! poi
Andrea Riva
