Ground turkey, do you use it?

[Mimizkitchen]

i'm just curious, but what is questionable about it, and where might one get facts supporting that?

i'm interested as we eat ground turkey every week, and i'd rather not feed my family something unhealthy.

BT if you've never seen Food Inc. Rent it... I went to see it in the movie theatre when it first came out and I was appalled, it hasn't stopped me from eating meats, and poultry, just more aware of the process...

 

[Wyogal]

I was subbing in an ag (FFA) classroom, and it was interesting to hear their take on the whole deal. I think the actual truth is somewhere in the middle.
We are fortunate to have good quality, locally produced meat in our area. I remember one grocery store in a town where we lived would post pics of the kid and their steer above the steaks, kid and their hog above the porkchops, etc. The state fair ribbons were proudly displayed at the meat counter.
I buy ground beef in the store wrapped packaged, ground on the premises.
I don't use ground turkey, no particular reason.

 

[bakechef]

I am not sure if fresh ground in the supermarket is any better. The meat that they use for ground beef comes in a big tube, to make it easier to sell ground beef with a predetermined amount of fat, they rarely use fresh cut meat. Less desirable cuts of meat and scraps are usually ground and sold as just "ground beef" not labeled as chuck, sirloin, round etc.. and are usually fattier and more likely to have gristle "knots".

I have worked in quite a few grocery stores and this has always been the case. A local butcher shop could likely be different, grinding fresher cuts.

 

[Wyogal]

Maybe where you worked. The last GB I bought was from sirloin and chuck, fresh ground at the store.

 

[bakechef]

Yes those tubes are composed of sirloin and chuck meat, with a predetermined amount of fat, so that they can be labeled that way, they are dumped into the grinder to be ground fresh. In case I didn't make my meaning clear, the meat that they get is chunks of meat in large 10-15 lb, tubes meant for grinding, this insures that the ground meat in the package is indeed "chuck" or whatever the package is labeled.

 

[Wyogal]

Well, it was handed to me by the butcher that ground it himself and told me what he put in it. I don't think you were there when I got it. And yes, there is a big window that one can see into the area where they cut and grind meat.

 

[buckytom]

some of it is processed, as ground beef is, with byproducts ground fine and washed with ammonia.

Marion Nestle (Professor of Food Science at NYU), in her book "What to Eat," suggests that grinding one's own meat is safest as then you can be sure what is (and isn't) in it. and that was before I knew about the ammonia stuff!

OTOH, if you are in a meat section or butcher shop where they are willing to grind the meat in front of you, that's a safe bet, as well.

thanks june, i'll look for that book.

and thanks suzyq and wyogal. the truth is almost always less dramatic.

of course, freshly ground is best, but i don't think i've ever seen a butcher grind turkey. we often buy shady brook farms brand. hmm, i'm beginning to wonder, what's so shady about it? lol.

and thanks bakechef. i always wondered how they calculated the amount of fat.

mimiz, i've heard of food, inc., i'll look for it as well.

i've seen the way large halves of animals are handled in the meatpacking district here in nyc, being dragged from truck across a loading dock, so i'm not really squeamish thinking about food processing and handling. i just hope it's trimmed and cleaned up by the time it hits my plate.

 

[bakechef]

Well, it was handed to me by the butcher that ground it himself and told me what he put in it. I don't think you were there when I got it. And yes, there is a big window that one can see into the area where they cut and grind meat.

Don't take it personally, I was just conveying my experience with grocers that I have worked for. When you buy ground beef packaged from a meat case, this is how it is done in many cases, it is still fresh ground (my store daily, only one day shelf life), but they are not grinding steaks in most cases for bulk sales. Many butchers even in grocery stores will grind a steak for you, but this isn't how it is usually done for the masses.