How does the poultry, pork and beef enjoyed by so many get from the farm to your table?  

The U.S. meat and poultry industry proudly processes, packages and delivers a variety of the meat products to us every day.  In fact, in the U.S. alone billions of pounds of meat is enjoyed each year. 

So, what path does it take to get to our plates?  It starts with teamwork on the farm. Farm families, agronomists, nutritionists, veterinarians … all working together to produce crops to raise healthy animals, like using high quality soy protein in livestock and poultry feed.   

Next, livestock and poultry are transported to packing plants where they’re processed into meat and undergo rigorous federal inspection to ensure its safe and properly labeled. Then it’s off to companies that specialize in preparing a variety of products – packaged meat, sausage, chicken nuggets or custom cuts.     

Critical to food safety and security is cold storage – facilities that keep these products frozen until they’re needed.  And When the time is right, our favorite beef, pork and poultry products are shipped across the U.S. and around the world … not only to grocery stores and restaurants … but to hotels, event centers, schools, hospitals, military bases and more. 

Whether it’s wings, steaks or bacon … the path to our plates is a complex one that involves essential steps along the way and millions of people dedicated to ensuring we don’t miss one bite.    

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We turned to Dr. Ty Lawrence, who has a doctorate in meat science and is a professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University, to get to the meat of the matter.

Aging of meat can sound strange, but it is a fairly simple process that occurs naturally in meat once it is processed. Aging of meat helps to make meat more tender which makes the consumer’s eating experience more enjoyable. “Aging meat is the process of allowing time to pass so that enzymes (specifically µ-calpain) can break down ultrastructural proteins, thus reducing the resistance to biting and chewing,” Dr. Lawrence said.

Aging is not a process used exclusively in one species since, “any muscle food that is uncooked and unfrozen is ‘aging’.” You can stop the aging process through cooking or freezing. “Once a product is cooked, those enzymes are denatured and are no longer functional,” he said. “The enzymes are not active while they are frozen – however, they do become active once the meat product is thawed.”

So what is the difference between dry-aging and wet-aging?

“Wet aging defines meat that was aged inside a vacuum package – the moisture is retained within the packaging,” Dr. Lawrence explains. “In contrast, dry-aged beef was aged outside a package and the cut (i.e. ribeye roll) lost moisture to the environment.”

The main difference in the two methods is a noticeable difference in flavor. “During the dry aging process, the fats oxidize and subtlety change in flavor. The lost moisture also causes a concentration of flavor, thus dry-aged meats most commonly have a more intense flavor profile,” he said.

Which process is more common? Dr. Lawrence says the beef you find on your grocery store shelf is most likely wet-aged.

“The majority of beef is wet-aged because it allows moisture to be retained. The moisture loss of dry-aged beef increases product costs and is typically reserved for high-end steaks,” he explained.

You can tell whether meat is dry-aged or wet-aged based on the price difference. “Dry-aged meat is almost always marketed as such and demands a higher price because the lost water weight must be compensated for in greater price,” Dr. Lawrence said.

Finally, curious about food safety, we wondered whether aging meat was safe.

“Yes, aging meat is a safe practice to ensure optimum eating experience.”

Aging is a natural process all meats go through to enhance the tenderness and flavor of the product. Dry-aging produces a more flavorful product but wet-aging is more commonly used because of the retained moisture and lower cost.

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Some food companies have taken the initiative to remove titanium dioxide from some of their products. An amendment has been made by policymakers to ban titanium dioxide in France.

Is this ingredient that sounds like it is part metal, part chemical safe? We reached out to Paul Westerhoff, PhD, PE, BCEE, Vice Dean for Research and Innovation, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University for some answers.

“I don’t think TiO₂ [titanium dioxide] poses a human health risk,” he said.

What is titanium dioxide and why is it used in food production?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products. It is sometimes used as a whitener and sometimes as an anti-caking agent (to prevent the product from clumping). Titanium dioxide also gives some products texture –It can also be used to create abrasion, as is found in some toothpastes.”

What products contain titanium dioxide?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Titanium dioxide is most commonly found in candies, sweets and chewing gums. it’s used in some chocolate to give it a smooth texture and is used in doughnuts to provide color and texture. Among personal care items, it’s most commonly found in toothpaste and some sunscreen lotions.”

Is titanium dioxide safe for human consumption?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Although there is not a lot of information available on the risks associated with consumption of titanium dioxide, it is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Research conducted by Arizona State University analyzed numerous readily-available products for the presence of titanium dioxide, including powdered doughnuts, chewing gum, whipped frosting, vanilla pudding and chocolate bars. Our research found the presence of titanium dioxide in the products tested, and also found that up to 5 percent of the titanium dioxide in some products was in the form of nanoparticles. Toxicity studies on nanoparticles in titanium dioxide have mainly focused on risks associated with inhalation and not consumption.

“Children are exposed to more titanium dioxide than adults due to diet. Their diets consist of more candies, sweets and gum, but this tends to change as children get older.”

Are there alternatives to titanium dioxide that food companies could use?

Dr. Westerhoff: “Other ingredients that could possibly be used in place of titanium dioxide include calcium phosphate and silica dioxide.”

In addition to Dr. Westerhoff’s expert insight, we found this article in The Conversation that addressed questions about titanium dioxide. Some key takeaways:

• Titanium dioxide (not metal titanium) is an inactive, insoluble material that makes things look whiter – it’s in many products, including food, paper, paint and plastics.
• The biggest concerns about titanium dioxide seem to be specific to nanoparticles, but one expert explained that “assuming one type [of nanoparticle] …is potentially harmful because of what another type does is the equivalent of avoiding apples because you’re allergic to oysters.”
• Some studies demonstrate the potential for harm, but lack information on how much material and under what conditions significant harm could occur. Other studies show no effects.

Additional Resources:

Weir, A., Westerhoff, P., Fabricius, L., Hristovski, K., von Goetz, N. “Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products,” Environmental Science and Technology (2012)

Singh, G., Stephan, C., Westerhoff, P., Carlander, D., Duncan, T. “Measurement Methods to Detect, Characterize, and Quantify Engineered Nanomaterials in Foods,”Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (2014)

Originally posted April 2, 2015.

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Grocer: “Can I help you find something?”

Shopper: “Why, yes! I’m looking for sodium aluminosilicate, butylated hydroxyanisole, and potassium metabisulfite.

Grocer: “Sure! Right over here!”

Frankly, we don’t know anyone who would have these items on a grocery list. Heck, most of us probably can’t even pronounce them without some tutoring from a food scientist. But it’s likely you’ve consumed these ingredients if you’ve ever eaten grated cheese or cereal, or enjoyed a glass of wine.

What do you know about the additives in your food? Particularly, those mysterious ingredients on the label that have us all scratching our heads and wondering “Is this stuff good for me and my family?”

Adding to that concern – some additives are banned in other countries but not in the U.S. For example, citing health reasons, Europe and Japan have banned brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, a chemical used to distribute flavor in popular bottled drinks like Gatorade and Mountain Dew. (Editor’s note: PepsiCo Inc. is removing BVO from its Gatorade sports drink in response to customer complaints.)

Today’s consumer certainly is more label conscious – and that’s good. But when we don’t know the lingo and can’t decipher the gobbledygook, labels are rendered meaningless. We end up making purchases with less confidence and cross our fingers that what we’re about to eat is safe.

Should we consume foods with ingredients we can’t pronounce? Just because you’re not familiar with an ingredient, doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it, according to Dr. Robert Gravani, a food scientist professor at Cornell University.

Just because you’re not familiar with an ingredient, doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it
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“Companies don’t just add products or substances just for the sake of adding,” said Gravani during an interview on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation.” “They have some functional purpose in the production or preparation or the appeal of that particular product to consumers.”

Additives are used in foods for very specific purposes, said Gravani: to maintain and enhance nutritional value, to maintain quality and freshness and to reduce waste. “We really want to make more foods readily available,” he said, and that’s especially important considering the food industry must feed 310 million people in the U.S. alone.

Ammonium sulfate, azodicarbonamide, and L-cysteine, for example, are used to produce more stable dough in breads and other baked goods. Lactic acid and sodium carbonate control acidity and prevent spoilage. And glycerin and sorbitol help retain moisture in products like shredded coconut and marshmallows.

In many cases, additives improve our health, he said.

Raise your hand if you know someone with a major nutritional disease like pellagra? Haven’t heard of it? Probably because we’ve eliminated it by adding niacin to bread products and flours, said Gravani. How about goiter? Nope. “We’ve eliminated that by adding iodine to our salt,” he said.

Gravani said we’ve eliminated many nutritional diseases and enhanced foods’ nutritional value with food additives.

“We as a society wouldn’t be where we are today without food additives,” he said, but that doesn’t mean we should blindly consume without asking questions.

Consumers have choices – and they have every right to pose questions to the companies making their food, he said.

Food companies around the world are trying to simplify labels and scientific terms whenever possible to help us better understand why a particular ingredient is included, said Gravani.

“I think it’s very important to look at the reasons we add them,” he said.

We do, too.  We would be happy to help answer any of the ‘whys,’ the ‘hows’ and the ‘whats’ you may have about food additives. Mull them over while you’re munching on that malus domestica (that‘s an apple, by the way) and then send them our way!

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“What is the scoop regarding baby carrots made from deformed carrots and then added bleach to them? Then, after a few days in your refrigerator the carrots get a white film on them? Is this chlorine and is it safe or does this cause health issues and or cancer?”

We asked Dr. Sheryl Barringer, Professor and Graduate Studies Chair in the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University to respond.

Dr. Barringer:

The white film is the surface drying out. The carrots are peeled, which roughens up the surface and makes it dry out faster than unpeeled carrots. It is not chlorine.

We had a few questions in our comment section, asking if carrots are rinsed in bleach or chlorine.

Dr. Barringer:

Organic carrots are not washed with chlorine solution. Chlorine alternatives, including ozone solutions, are used on these. Non-organic vegetables, including carrots, are washed with a sanitizer, most likely chlorine and occasionally with chlorine alternatives (like peracatic acid, Prosan, or different combinations of organic acids and detergents). It is somewhat difficult to generalize because different manufactures use different approaches. However, it is reasonable to assume that if the vegetable is not organic, it most-likely has been sanitized with chlorine.

Additionally, Dr. Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, and addressed this question in an article in The Gazette. He said, “While it is true that sometimes the carrots are rinsed in a dilute solution of chlorine or chlorine dioxide in order to do away with bacteria, the process has nothing to do with the white discoloration, known in the trade as carrot blush.” He added, on an About.com article, “The whole point of washing vegetables with chlorinated water is to protect consumers’ health by reducing bacteria that could cause foodborne illnesses.”

If you have questions about food, please let us know by submitting your question here. We’re happy to help!

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Looking for a heart-healthy protein to incorporate into your diet? Brenda Roche Wolford, MS, RD, one of our food system experts, gives some practical advice for choosing the healthiest, safest and best chicken for your family’s needs.

What is the healthiest chicken to purchase at the grocery store?

Roche Wolford:

Out of all the chicken options at the grocery story, the healthiest option is fresh chicken breast. The white meat (chicken breast) has slightly less cholesterol than the dark meat (legs and wings). It is definitely lower in saturated fats. In general, poultry is a heart-healthy protein. Usually, the less processed it is, the better. Be sure to remove the skin of the chicken, and you will have a really great source of lean protein.

Labeling is so confusing. What should I look for? What about natural, organic, farm-raised, free-range, antibiotic-free, etc.? Is one healthier than the other?

Roche Wolford:

There are a lot of labels out there these days, so it’s important for consumers to understand what the labels mean. Labels like organic, natural, free-range and antibiotic-free are more of a personal preference for consumers. Some of these terms are regulated by the USDA, and others are not. There might be a difference in the taste or quality that the consumer might prefer with certain labels. However, just because it has one of those labels does not mean it is healthier.

For more information on label definitions, please visit our post on food labels here.

Do you have any tips to help us read labels?

Roche Wolford:

A food company can make quite a few claims about their product on the labels. However, the consumer should not let label claims get in the way of their purchase. I know all the terms can be confusing, but what’s most important to know is that chicken is a healthy meat option.

• Look for chicken without the skin. Or if you purchase it with the skin, remove the skin because it has more cholesterol and saturated fat. White meat in chicken is heart-healthy and is generally a good choice for a lean protein.
• If you are purchasing chicken that has been processed in some way, look at the nutrition facts panel. For instance, if you are buying ground poultry instead of ground beef because you think it is a healthier option, double check the label. Ground poultry could have as much fat as ground beef, possibly more, because the processor might include the dark meat and skin when grinding the poultry. 
• Again, read the nutrition facts for chicken that has been processed. Processed food may have added salt, so review the sodium levels. It’s very important to look at the nutrition facts panel when buying any food or poultry item that’s been processed.

Are there grades or classifications for poultry products like beef?

Roche Wolford:

Grading is not mandatory for poultry. Inspection is mandatory, but the grading is voluntary. Grading has regulations in terms of the quality of the poultry. It has to do with the appearance in the quality.

What is “plumping?”

Roche Wolford:

Plumping is a process some poultry products receive where the chicken breast may be enhanced or might have added salt, water or flavoring such as teriyaki sauce. Plumping is adding a mixture of solution, and the presence and amount of the solution will be labeled as part of the product name. However, the label may be confusing. Even if the product says 100% all natural, it may have been injected with a solution. The USDA released a final rule which would require clearly labeling raw meats to which solutions have been added. This rule will make companies more clearly disclose whether solution has been added. This ensures that companies are giving consumers this information in as simple a format as possible. Prior to this ruling, companies could put this information wherever they want to on the packaging, but with the new rule, it will become part of the product description. This final rule will go into effect January 1, 2016. 

Former USDA labeling rule.

Current USDA labeling rule.

Does sodium content increase with more processing?

Roche Wolford:

In general, yes, sodium usually increases with more processing. Sodium is an ingredient that’s used for preservation, but also for taste and texture and to extend the shelf life. Nowadays, consumers are more aware of the sodium content of the foods they’re eating. Most of the sodium in our diet comes from the processed foods we eat, not from the salt we put on our food at the table. Check the nutrition facts label and compare the sodium content to other labels before buying the product. Choose the product with the least amount of sodium.

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