Foods Made From Mechanically Separated Chicken

Mechanically separated meat is produced by processing meat in a highly automated and industrial fashion to create food products. The idea behind it is to provide an industrial approach to harvesting as much meat as possible from an animal carcass. Using high pressure, carcasses from animals like chickens are forced through a sieve that separates bone from tissue (including muscle and tendons). This tissue is then turned into a paste-like substance composed of pulverized parts of hundreds or thousands of chickens. This paste is then further processed, shaped, flavored and packaged as chicken products like chicken nuggets, chicken patties and 'chicken fillets' that are commonly found in the frozen section of supermarkets.

Mechanically separated meat is produced through highly efficient and automated processing, yielding cheaper and higher volumes of meat than traditional methods; thus producers can offer food products at lower prices.  Through this technique, poultry slaughterhouses are able to use lower-valued poultry parts to create raw materials for creating processed foods. Here are some commonly found products that contain mechanically separated chicken.

Here are some common, every day foods that are either made of or most likely contain mechanically separated chicken:

- Chicken Nuggets

- SPAM

- Vienna Sausages

- Frozen "chicken fillets"

- Hot dogs (eg Oscar Mayer hotdogs)

- Chicken 'deli-style' pre-packaged cold cuts

- Balogna

- Frozen chicken patties

The USDA has required food producers to include mechanically separated chicken in the list of ingredients of products that it is used in.  So check the food packaging if you are unsure if it contains mechanically separated chicken or not.

Caveat emptor!