[plan4fate]

I'd not heard of this until someone from JM shared a video on Facebook. I watched it, and my stomach is turning just a little bit.

Meat glue Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!


What is your opinion on this? Using chemicals to glue together scraps of meat to make "prime" cuts? I will be very glad that PS and I plan on buying our meat right from the ppl who slaughter the cows, will help me limit the "extra trash" that people are sticking into our food. The garbage fed to the cows was bad enough! I know it's an Australian Video, and that it's said a lot of places have banned it, but we all know that doesn't mean much these days.

find out if its YOUR country, if its not then don't worry. Its not something that happens in Canada, nor are added hormones or anti-biotics. A lot of things that happen in the US don't happen here, things that happen in the UK wont happen in the US, ect.

When it comes to this stuff geographic location does make a difference.

[GinaB]

I don't really have an opinion on the story because I don't buy meat like that but it's rather fascinating to see how that was done!

[Hey... Where's Perry?]

My opinion is ew, and I'm pretty sure that "ew" can also be a fact, with the source being me.

[GinaB]

Originally Posted by beyaztavsan

My opinion is ew, and I'm pretty sure that "ew" can also be a fact, with the source being me.

as long as the meat smells it's still GOOOD!

[amrysmomma]

That is kind of gross looking, but interesting. I tried googling it for the US and I couldn't find anything stating that we use it, but then again I might suck at googling lol.

[Lash]

I think I'll add this to my ever increasing list of reasons I don't eat meat.

[K.A.T]

I sure hope that's not going on in the States, that was umm gross.

[plan4fate]

Originally Posted by KimberlyD0

find out if its YOUR country, if its not then don't worry. Its not something that happens in Canada, nor are added hormones or anti-biotics. A lot of things that happen in the US don't happen here, things that happen in the UK wont happen in the US, ect.

When it comes to this stuff geographic location does make a difference.

Sorry Kimberly, but this product IS approved for use in Canada. AND it's not even a requirement to declare that this product is being used on the food!!!!! gah!

Industry-Wide Use of Meat Glue Sticks Together Scraps of Meat To Sell You Prime Cuts

I didn't know it, but imitation crab and lobster products are made with this glue. Guess there goes my fave sushi

Originally Posted by ~Tithen~

Sorry Kimberly, but this product IS approved for use in Canada. AND it's not even a requirement to declare that this product is being used on the food!!!!! gah!

Industry-Wide Use of Meat Glue Sticks Together Scraps of Meat To Sell You Prime Cuts

I didn't know it, but imitation crab and lobster products are made with this glue. Guess there goes my fave sushi

I'll stick with Canadian meats then Actually I only bye meat from Ontario, most foods actually.

[Poncho06]

Blarg that is nasty.

Also Kimberly, if you read the article it is present currently in Canadian meat so you are still consuming it.

Originally Posted by Poncho06

Blarg that is nasty.

Also Kimberly, if you read the article it is present currently in Canadian meat so you are still consuming it.

I reserve judgment untill I see more evidence. I would want to make sure the facts are correct before freaking out.

[Lash]

This is the technical term for it:
Transglutaminase

Transglutaminase (TG or TGase), better known to chefs as “Meat Glue,” has the amazing ability to bond protein-containing foods together. Raw meats bound with TG are often strong enough to be handled as if they were whole uncut muscles. TG is safe, natural, and easy to use. In the kitchen, TG is primarily used to:

Make uniform portions that cook evenly, look good, and reduce waste

• Bind meat mixtures like sausages without casings

• Make novel meat combinations like lamb and scallops

• Produce special effects like meat noodles, meat and vegetable pastas (using gelatin as a binder), etc. Additionally, TG can thicken egg yolks, strengthen dough mixtures, thicken dairy systems, and increase yield in tofu production, among other useful applications.

I can solve the Canadian question for you

Vol. 138, No. 9 — May 5, 2004

Registration
SOR/2004-84 22 April, 2004

FOOD AND DRUGS ACT

Regulations Amending the Food and Drug
Regulations (1236 — Transglutaminase)

P.C. 2004-428 22 April, 2004

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Health, pursuant to subsection 30(1) (see footnote a) of the Food and Drugs Act, hereby makes the annexed Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (1236 — Transglutaminase).

REGULATIONS AMENDING THE FOOD AND DRUG REGULATIONS (1236 — TRANSGLUTAMINASE)

AMENDMENT

1. Table V to section B.16.100 of Part B of the Food and Drug Regulations (see footnote 1) is amended by adding the following before item T.1:

2. These Regulations come into force on the day on which they are registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT
ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Regulations.)

Description

Enzymes used in the manufacture of foods are considered food additives and must be listed in Division 16 of the Food and Drug Regulations before they are permitted to be used in food products. At the present time, there is no provision in the Regulations for the use of the enzyme transglutaminase in foods marketed in Canada.

Health Canada has received a submission to permit the use of transglutaminase obtained from the microorganism Streptoverticillium mobaraense strain S-8112 in the following list of unstandardized foods: prepared fish products, cheese products, cream and processed cheese products, simulated meat products, yogurt and frozen dairy desserts. The use of the transglutaminase will improve the textural characteristics of these products.

Evaluation of available data supports the safety and effectiveness for the use of transglutaminase. This enzyme has been approved for use in the United States, Japan and most European countries.

This amendment to the Regulations permits the use of the transglutaminase enzyme obtained from Streptoverticillium mobaraense strain S-8112 to enhance the texture of the unstandardized foods listed above at a level consistent with Good Manufacturing Practice.

Alternatives

Under the Food and Drug Regulations, provision for the use of new food additives can only be accommodated by regulatory amendment. Maintaining the status quo was rejected as this would preclude the use of a food additive which has been shown to be both safe and effective.

Benefits and Costs

This amendment benefits consumers by allowing the availability of a better quality and a greater variety of food products in the Canadian marketplace. The use of transglutaminase benefits the industry by permitting the use of a new enzyme that facilitates the manufacture of the above stated unstandardized foods.

There is no anticipated increase in cost to government from the administration of this amendment. Furthermore, compliance costs incurred by manufacturers are not considered to be a factor as the use of this food additive is optional.

Consultation

Because of the proprietary nature of submissions which deal with food additives, consultation on proposed amendments is not usually carried out prior to pre-publication. Nevertheless, because it was proposed to permit the use of transglutaminase in a broad range of unstandardized food products, targeted consultation has been conducted prior to pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I, with the food industry sectors that may be impacted by the proposed amendment. Hence, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Canadian Pork Council, the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council, and the Fisheries Council of Canada were consulted and expressed their support for this proposed amendment. The Canadian Meat Council's support was limited to the approval of transglutaminase for use in standardized and unstandardized meat products.

The proposed amendment was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on June 21, 2003. Interested parties were invited to provide comments on this amendment. Three comments were received. These comments requested the extension of use of transglutaminase to include meat products for which there are compositional standards in Division 14 of the Regulations and also for meat products for which compositional standards are not prescribed (i.e., unstandardized meat products). The Canadian Meat Council in particular noted its concern that the amendment did not permit use of this enzyme in meat products.

Health Canada responded to these comments in writing and indicated that provision for the use of this enzyme in standardized and unstandardized meat products could only be made in the Regulations subsequent to a specific request with supporting data as to the efficacy and safety of the use of this enzyme in these foods as required by the Regulations. Health Canada also stated that at the time of drafting of the proposed amendment, there was no request nor supporting data submitted for the use of this enzyme in meat products. Consequently, Health Canada could not include a provision for such use in the proposed amendment.

Compliance and Enforcement

Compliance will be monitored by ongoing domestic and import inspection programs conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Contact

Ronald Burke
Director
Bureau of Food Regulatory
International and Interagency Affairs
Health Canada
A.L. 0702C1
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0L2
Telephone: (613) 957-1828
FAX: (613) 941-3537
E-mail: sche-ann@hc-sc.gc.ca

Footnote a

S.C. 1999, c. 33, s. 347

Footnote 1

C.R.C., c. 870

It was passed in Canada, for not only meat but tons of dairy products and fish

The EU recently brought back the use of the new glue, Thrombian, or Transglutaminase, right along with Australia, Canada and the US. The FDA, of course, deems it GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

Less than a year ago, the European Parliament had voted to ban bovine and porcine thrombin. The House said the meat glue has no proven benefit for consumers and might mislead them instead.

The Parliament estimated that there is “a clear risk that meat containing thrombin would find its way into meat products served in restaurants or other public establishments serving food, given the higher prices that can be obtained for pieces of meat served as a single meat product”.

But two weeks ago, all but one of the European Union nations voted in favor of using Thrombian, or Transglutaminase (TG). They now join other developed nations such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia who approved the product.

The Swedish government’s recent approval of the use of Thrombian prompted the Swedish Consumers’ Association and politicians to join together to criticize this approval. “We do not want this at all–it is meat make-up,” Jan Bertoft of the Association told IceNews, a daily Icelandic newspaper.

“The problem is that Thrombian-enhanced products look like real meat. It is the dishonesty in it that makes us think that it is not okay,” said Bertoft. For example, pork tenderloin can have numerous small parts fused together to produce what will appear to be a full fillet.

According to blog, Cooking Issues, Meat Glue is commonly used all the time, primarily to:

• Make uniform portions that cook evenly, look good, and reduce waste

• Bind meat mixtures like sausages without casings

• Make novel meat combinations like lamb and scallops

According to the Food and Drug Administration’s website, Transglutaminase is classified as a GRAS product (generally recognized as safe).

Health Canada approved the product. However, the glue also raises food-safety issues, says Keith Warriner, an associate professor of food science at the University of Guelph, in a phone interview from his office. If there is a bacteria outbreak, it’s much harder to figure out the source when chunks of meat from multiple cows were combined.

Yet another innovation is “modified atmosphere packaging”, the widespread practice of filling meat packaging with adjusted levels of oxygen and other gases. The gases can keep meat from losing its fresh-looking red hue. Shiv Chopra, an Ottawa food-safety expert and retired Health Canada scientist, said in an e-mail that the technique is “dangerous” because it may prevent shoppers from seeing when meat has gone bad. UBC’s Allen agreed: “This can be misleading to consumers.”

Invariably, industry justifies use of these so called meat glues because they are used only during processing and resist declaring it in the label obviously maintaining that it is not a part of the formulation of the product. While technically they are correct, the fact still remains that the so called processing aid stays right there in the final product.which certainly requires declaration for the information of the consumer.

If the idea of fish slurry or chicken puree glued together with an enzyme isn’t appealing to you, use it as motivation to learn more about where your food comes from. Try shopping from farmer’s markets more, so that you know who has grown your vegetables, or raised your meat if you eat it. Although between the chemicals, pollutants, cruelty and maybe reconsider what it means to eat meat at all.

[Lash]

And here as an approved additive in Canadian foods

Food Additives Permitted for Use in Canada - Food Additive Dictionary
Straight from the Health Canada website

T
Talc X
Tannic Acid St,X
Tartaric Acid pH,P
Tartrazine C
Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ) A
Tetrasodium Diphosphate (see Sodium Pyrophosphate Tetrabasic) E,ES,pH,S,X
Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (see Sodium Pyrophosphate Tetrabasic) E,ES,pH,S,X
Thaumatin Sw
Titanium Dioxide C
Tocopherols A
Tragacanth Gum (Gum Tragacanth) Ge
Transglutaminase Fe
Triacetin (see Glyceryl Triacetate) CE,X
Tributyrin (see Glyceryl Tributyrate) CE
Tricalcium Phosphate (see Calcium Phosphate, Tribasic) Ac,E,pH,S,X,Yf
Triethyl Citrate CE,W
Trisodium Phosphate (see Sodium Phosphate, Tribasic) E,ES,pH
Trypsin Fe
Turmeric C
W

Some other info on your valued Canadian meat.. it looks like you might be less than aware of what you are really eating

After reading about Thrombin today, I’m seriously considering becoming a vegetarian. Thrombin also goes by the name of “transglutaminase” and is produced as “Activa” by Japan’s Ajinomoto Company. Belonging to a family of clotting enzymes, Thrombin is a coagulation protein which — together with the fibrous protein “fibrin” — can be melded together to develop a “meat glue” enzyme that can be used for sticking together different pieces of meat. It’s made from blood taken from either cows or pigs. And it’s been approved for industry-wide use in Canada.

FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform) asks "How effective is Canada’s meat-inspection system?"
More controversy has surrounded “meat glue”. The “glue” is a natural protein derived from cow or pig blood. It allows meat processors to stick together various lumps of meat into a regular-looking steak, roast, or kebab. In the meat business, it’s known as “restructured beef”.

Canada allows the product to be sold here, but the European parliament rejected it for sale in the EU in May because of concerns that artificial steaks could mislead the public. “Consumers in Europe should be able to trust that they are buying a real steak or ham, not pieces of meat that have been glued together,” Jo Lienen, chair of the parliament’s environment committee, said during debate on the issue.

The glue also raises food-safety issues, says Keith Warriner, an associate professor of food science at the University of Guelph, in a phone interview from his office. If there is a bacteria outbreak, it’s much harder to figure out the source when chunks of meat from multiple cows were combined.

Also, the products need to be fully cooked, like ground beef, to kill bacteria. A regular steak is safe to eat medium-rare because only its surface has bacteria. But when different cuts of meat are blended together, the product may have contaminated surfaces on the inside, and it has to be cooked to an internal temperature of 71 ° C (160 ° F). This, Warriner says, could lead to confusion among consumers used to cooking their steaks medium-rare (63 ° C, or 145 ° F).

Their website

How is TG positioned in other countries?

TG is approved for food use in many other countries than EU member states, including, but not limited to,　U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Japan, Korea, China and Thailand. Transglutaminase (TG) is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) in U.S.A..
A complete GRAS notice is available at FDA web-site.

How is TG positioned in other countries? | AJINOMOTO Transglutaminase

So yeah Kimberly, it's all up in your food.

[foxfire_ga79]

Yep. That strengthens my resolve.
A couple days ago I decided to sell one of my horses so I would have enough grazing to support a beef cattle. I'm SO over it with the factory farming garbage. I've got dual purpose (meat and egg) chicken eggs in the incubator right this moment, I've recently bought a little flock of quail for eggs and meat, we've pre-ordered a pig and it will be here in a couple of weeks, and I suppose I'll end up getting another dairy goat in the fairly near future just to even out the score and have fresh milk along with all the meat and eggs. That will leave only fish that I have to buy.
It's bad enough thinking of what commercial food animals have to live and die like, let alone that bits and pieces get glued together and passed off as whole cuts.
Gross. That one word sums it up perfectly.

[WineKeepsMeSane]

Thank you Lauren for the Canadian information I'm going to be checking labels for this.

[GinaB]

from what Lash posted

TG is safe, natural, and easy to use.

Originally Posted by Lash

And here as an approved additive in Canadian foods

Food Additives Permitted for Use in Canada - Food Additive Dictionary
Straight from the Health Canada website


Some other info on your valued Canadian meat.. it looks like you might be less than aware of what you are really eating






Their website

How is TG positioned in other countries? | AJINOMOTO Transglutaminase

So yeah Kimberly, it's all up in your food.

Thank you for the Canadian information. I'll be looking into it more. There still isn't anything thats going to make me just freak out and stop eating meats. Maybe not bye the big cuts of meat untill I know more, but I'm not going to freak out. If I decide its a problem I'll just go to the local farm, or go back to game meats.

[razzledobe]

bleh this sounds horrible!! I do wish I had enough land and the resources to have my own cows, goats etc. I already told DH that we're going to start really researching our meats because I dont want my son growing up on all this hormone laden chickens, meats etc.

We had seriously thought about getting some chickens, but we just knew the only winner in that situation right now would be our 3 year old Doberman.... alas those will have to wait. Foxfire- sounds like if we ever do get some of those I'll have to come see you for advice! You have quite the little farm going on!

Right now we're figuring out how to garden our own veggies... but that is getting OT so... back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[plan4fate]

*shudder* yeah, need to convince PS that I want to buy everything organic and where I can see it alive before I decide to have it butchered. I'd say raise it ourselves... but I'm a softie and we'd end up with a real old cow wandering around.


starting to think it should be 100% required to declare every single item that goes into food, no matter how minimal. If they put 1g of eye of newt into a 400gallon mixing bowl to make cheerios.. I wanna bloody well know it's in there!