Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Terminology:  "No Enzymes"

STEAK-UMM MEATS

Whoops - I just 'liked' Steak-Umm Meats on Facebook. The company seems to support many good causes, and it sponsors NASCAR . . .

but . . .

NO ENZYMES??

I just read their website FAQ (click the link), which states that their products "do not contain enzymes" [emphasis added].

When I read that, I did a double-take because, of course, it's not true. All meat contains enzymes. As we all learned in High School Biology, cells could not function without enzymes.

So it would truly be a miracle is Steak-Umm Meat's products did not contain enzymes.

It reminds me of similar claims that a company's beef or chicken "does not contain hormones". These too are inaccurate claims.

ALL MEAT CONTAINS ENZYMES AND HORMONES

So let's be scientifically and factually accurate:

All meat contains both enzymes and hormones

Without both enzymes and hormones, life could not continue.

CONCLUSION

Steak-Umm Meats may have (and almost certainly) intended to claim that the company "adds no enzymes" to its meat products. (Some companies add enzymes to tenderize meat.) I'm sure that they'll clarify their FAQ quickly, and, as soon as they do, I'll edit and update this blog.

In the meantime, what is most important is for consumers themselves to do a double-take (so to speak) when they see claims that a meat product like steak or chicken "contains no enzymes" or "contains no hormones". Such claims are false. Consumer should know that all meat contains naturally occuring enzymes and hormones.

Furthermore, consumers should know and make informed decisions about whether to purchase and consume steak, beef or orther meats that contain "added enzymes" and/or "added hormones". This is a separate topic, and I'll blog about that separately.

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