I do not consider myself to be one of those fanatic vegetarians and have been known to eat a hamburger or a slice of bacon from time to time but I do believe it is important for us to make responsible and ethical decisions regarding the foods that we eat. To support those decisions and our resulting behavior, it is important that we educate ourselves on what constitutes food, how much should be eaten, where does our food come from, how is it produced and by whom? I plan to attend a workshop led by Rev. Nate Walker of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia to explore these very questions.
In the meantime, I came across an article in Wired Magazine (August 2009) that detailed the composition of a popular processed snack food (?) known as the Slim Jim. I am curious – am I the only one to find it disturbing and nauseating?
The composition/ingredients are as follows: Beef – but not prime, a utility cut that comes from old steers with partially ossified vertebrae; Chicken – mechanically separated poultry scrapes that are pulverized into a pink paste; Hydrolyzed Soy – also known as monosodium glutamate; Corn and Wheat Proteins – well Slim Jims are made by ConAgra, after all; Lactic Acid Starter – a bacteria/sugar substance to lower the ph level; Dextrose – serves as a food for the lactic acid starter (its alive!); Salt – one Slim Jim gives you more than one-sixth of the sodium your body needs in one day; Sodium Nitrate – an agent to prevent the meat from turning grey and hopefully prevent botulism.
Mm – is it any wonder that a Slim Jim processing plant blew up lately?
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