Meat Glue In Many Restaurants

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by Kirk Hawkins
Bio | Email | Follow: @kirkhawkins

Story Created: May 18, 2012 at 9:38 PM EDT

Story Updated: May 19, 2012 at 10:11 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-If you were disturbed by "Pink Slime," you'll want to know about "Meat Glue."
Most customers don't know they're eating it. But, it's used in the kitchens of many restaurants across the country.

Chef Jess Cochran is with the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Charlotte.
"Just a touch of salt," he said. He showed us how flank steak can look like a bacon-wrapped tenderloin. The little-known secret that enables the transformation is called meat glue. "It's not gluing it together it's actually forming a bond," Cochran said. Meat glue is a white powder that's F.D.A. approved called transglutaminase. "Studies show that it doesn't have health ramifications to ingest it," Cochran said.

Experts say meat glue is common in high end restaurants. You can find it in your own home in hot dogs, at fast food restaurants in things like chicken nuggets, and in deli sandwiches too. While some Uptown Charlotte visitors "think its disgusting," restaurants are required by law to give you what you order and usually that's part of the mix.

Uptown Charlotte resident Will Gilchrist said he isn't taking any chances, "I stopped  eating a lot of processed meats because of the fact that so many products were going into them," he said.

Mecklenburg County Health officials say meat glue doesn't violate health codes. The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association has not yet returned our calls for comment.
 

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