Meat workers handling the apparently highly toxic “meat glue” are told to use masks to avoid breathing it in.  The big question is, if meat handlers who are allowed to put the glue into their meat for us to eat, why can't they breathe it in themselves?

Apparently meat glue, or the enzyme transglutaminase as it is known as in the food industry, has been around since the late 1950’s.

Transglutaminase is artificially produced by cultivating bacteria and also via the use of blood plasma, specifically the coagulant that makes blood clot, from cows and even pigs.  That in itself may terrify some who do not eat pork products for religious reasons. 

Why should this unethical practice come as a shock after the big expose of meat and fish being bleached to take away smells of rotting and the use of fluorescent lights so that meat appears fresher and more appetizing at the supermarket?  Ever wondered why the packet of meat doesn’t look so good after you brought it home than when it was in the case at the store?  The lighting has changed…

Meat suppliers have been caught red-handed using the meat glue to cement together meat scraps that are too small to sell on their own.  One would think that they could sell those for stewing or perhaps grind them up in a mince?  But you see, a steak sized piece fetches more money!

The use of the glue in the final product is so cleverly done that even the experts can't tell the difference between a regular piece of meat and a piece of meat that has been patched up with meat glue!

In addition to paying more for an inferior cut, the real issue is that risks of getting food poisoning increase dramatically with meat glue usage.

The bacterial contamination of glued meat is hundreds of times higher than authentic pieces of meat. Glued meat take much longer to cook which makes it harder to kill the bacteria present.

Also for tracing purposes, it’s hard to determine where the tainted meat came from if a slab of meat came from many different animals!

The European Union banned the use of "meat glue" for its obvious unethical nature in presenting scraps as steak that fetch higher prices and because the glue is basically unhealthy for human consumption.

When are we banning the use of meat glue in the United States?  I suppose when we ban everything else that’s bad for us that is commonly used to make money!