Boars Head

[aldric.strickland88]

 Boars Head is a company that claims to have all Natural products. People Often tell me boars head is all Nitrate Free. I have in the past trusted this company to offer fresh and healthier meats. 
 However, on investigation and closer look, it would seem this trust is badly misplaced. As they make Claims that exist in certain borders to which they can get away with. 

• No Fillers”: This means their meats don’t contain carrageenan, soy concentrate, cellulose, starches, and other cheap substances that can hold processed meat together and reduce costs for food manufacturers.</li>
  • “No By-Products”: These are parts of the animal that we don’t typically eat, like lips, tripe, pork stomachs, and hearts. Even mainstream deli meat brands like Oscar Mayer (confirmed on the phone) and Sara Lee (via their website) claim to have deli meats that are free of by-products, so this doesn’t really set Boar’s Head apart as superior to those brands.</li>
    • “No Artificial Colors”: Here they are only referring to FD&C certified colors, as these are the only ones considered “artificial” by the FDA:  Blue #1, Blue #2, Green #3, Red #3, Red #40, Yellow #5, and Yellow #6. I haven’t been able to find a single deli meat that contains any certified artificial colors, so this claim really doesn’t mean anything and is misleading because caramel color is still used.</li>
      • “No Artificial Flavors”: Another trick to make you believe their meat only contains quality ingredients, when in reality “natural” flavors can still be used. Natural flavors are not much different than the artificial variety and are made in a lab.</li>
        • “No Trans Fat”: Their meats don’t contain partially hydrogenated oils. Again, this isn’t a normal ingredient in deli meat… I’ve never seen it!</li>
          • “No Gluten”: Most deli meats are already gluten-free, so this isn’t a big shocker. But there are some deli meats that do contain gluten or may be cross-contaminated with gluten, and Boar’s Head’s claims their meats are free of gluten and thereby safe for people with celiacs.</li>   In order to trust certain brands they must have certain expectations. Of course, not being from China or made with Chinese Ingredients would be the first expectation of your Meats. Others would include.
            <ol style="padd[/IMG]
          • 100% certified organic (preferably grass fed/pastured) – This ensures that the animals weren’t given antibiotics or growth hormones, weren’t fed GMOs, and none of the ingredients are derived from GMOs.</li>
          • I like to roast whole pieces of organic meat, and slice it myself. This way, I know exactly what’s in it and there’s no processing!</li>
          • Whole organic sliced deli meat without sodium nitrate.</li>
          • No fillers or additives like carrageenan or maltodextrin.</li>
          • Brands that list their ingredients online (if not already pre-packaged with ingredients).</li></ol>Some brands to try:[/B] Organic Prairie, Kol Foods Oven Roasted Turkey, Nuna Naturals, Applegate Farms (some contain carrageenan and fillers – so always read the ingredients!) 
            
            Resources:
            http://foodbabe.com/2016/01/06/read-thi ... ter-again/
            
            http://foodbabe.com/2016/01/12/update-w ... tures-now/
            
            
            
            

 

[Voice of Enki [JG]]

Thank you brother Aldric for sharing that information.

I live in Europe, the brands you named don't seem to be available here, but atleast I know some more things to look out for when buying meat.

There are some good old fashioned bucheries here still, who get their meat from local farms and make sure the animals are slaughtered in the most humane way possible.

The meat is a tad bit expensive, but they are good quality and the people there are open about the ingredients. I asked what their meatballs are made of and if they use any filler and they honestly answered. That was good customer service (they did use filler, but no added artificial or natural colors or taste or smell enhancers and what not).

Getting yourself a cut of meat that is unprocessed and just learning to work with it yourself can be very beneficial since all those processed meats have some kind of filler in them that you would prefer not to eat.