Cutter beef is what is typically used for ground beef and hamburger at fast food restaurants. This type of beef is used at Taco Bell for instance. The “100% beef” you’re supposedly eating is basically all the left over parts of meat that didn’t make the cut for the higher grades grounded up together with other trimmings and a lot of additives like salt, sugar, flavoring, and coloring.
The thing about these restaurants though is that they’re not technically required to tell you what is exactly in your meat. Many restaurants including McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Culver’s are not required to tell you where the meat comes from but that doesn’t mean the meat isn’t edible or legal because it still all has to be approved by the USDA. In reality the meat you’re eating could be from dozens of different cows. The problem with that is that these animals are often confined to small unsanitary areas while being pumped with antibiotics to create the type of meat they want quickly. This creates an unsanitary and potentially unsafe situation when it comes to consuming this meat. In a recent report released from the Food and Drug Administration it stated 81% of turkey, 69% of pork, 55% of ground beef, and 39% of chicken had antibiotic-resistant bacteria found in it. These different bacteria can lead to different illnesses including E. Coli, salmonella, pneumonia, and some other bacteria related sicknesses. Since the meat these fast food restaurants are using can come from so many different animals, there’s a chance at least one of them might have this harmful bacteria in it. On top of the meat having bacteria and anti-bodies that could be harmful, you’re eating a lot of “meat” that isn’t actually muscle meat like you would think. The “meat” also often contains connective tissues, blood vessels, nerves, plant material, cartilage, and bone from the animals. But the meat is still USDA approved and legal to be sold at a low grade.
Infamously a couple years back as you may remember there was a big stir on how McDonald’s chicken nuggets aren’t meat and instead is this nasty pink goop type substance. Now as that has been proven wrong, it still proves the point that it’s not completely 100% chicken. On top of chicken meat and other chicken body parts, other things listed on the website called autolyzed yeast extract, sodium phosphates, sodium aluminum phosphate, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness, and Dimethylpolysiloane added as an antifoaming agent are in the meat. It may just be me, but I feel like if I have no idea what half the things being added are and can’t even pronounce many of them, I shouldn’t be eating it. If you look past the fact that you don’t exactly know what you’re eating, there’s still problems because no matter what it’s not that healthy. Culver’s for instance has been advertising “Mindful Choices” of items on their menu. Like a grilled chicken sandwich with tomato Florentine soup and a medium soft drink is only a total of 491 calories. It may low calories for fast food, but it is still in no way what you should consider healthy.
In a study by Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score (FACTS) they concluded food companies are responsible for over 70% of the television ads viewed by children and teens. By promoting these meats as being delicious and 100% whatever meat it is, anyone would want to try it. But imagine watching TV and the commercial saying “come try our new burger, filled with bacteria and the bones of over a dozen different cows” and it might be a different story. Not all food advertisements are bad. For example, Chipotle prides itself on being organic. They advertise that they’re meat is organic and not factory farm raised animals. That may not be the whole truth, but it is a lot truer than anything McDonald’s is telling you. In reality the easiest way guarantee what you’re eating is what you’ve been told you’re eating is just asking the question. Ask if the food is organic, go on whatever fast food restaurant’s FAQ page on their website and if it says there where the meat is from there’s a good chance it’s better for you than a lot of other places.
The main purpose here is you’re getting to the age where you can start making your own choices. Make the choice to question what you’re eating. Make the choice of whether or not eating it is the right choice for you and don’t let advertisements that say it is make that choice. Decide for yourself if you’re “Lovin’ It”. No one can tell you not to eat it; the government has approved this meat for consumption so that does make it edible. But do you really want to know that while you’re eating that big mac there’s a question of where the meat for it actually came from?