"Water added to ensure freshness."

[230RN]

Dear Oscar Meyer,

I've been using your products for years, but it seems lately you have not been putting enough water in with your packaged cold cuts such as sliced salami, baloney, turkey, and ham.  Last time I opened a package of baloney only about 50 cc of water spilled out.

You might want to check your manufacturing process to ensure that some more water is added to these products
                                         
Yours Truly,                                           

Terry 230RN

Dear Mr. 230RN

We attempt to provide the highest quality of cold cuts and appreciate your suggestion for improvement.  We have checked with our Supervising Chef and he agrees that adding still more water in our cold-cut packaging would improve things.

Please accept these manufacturer's coupons for discounts on our products as a token of our thanks.
                                       Maryanne --
Dee Diddlydum                 Send this guy
Senior Vice President         the water letter.
Consumer Affairs

[Boomhauer]

What really irritates me is adding water/ice to fresh meat

[Hawkmoon]

What really irritates me is when you write to any manufacturer of inedible food product to tell them exactly how inedible their product is, and why it is not only unpalatable but completely inedible, and they respond by sending you coupons to obtain more of said inedible food product.

[WLJ]

Similar complains

https://armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=69734.msg1438483#msg1438483

[HankB]

Similar complains

https://armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=69734.msg1438483#msg1438483

Yep. Check out my Reply #5 in that thread.   

[RocketMan]

These days I have to dry off most brands of sliced deli ham with paper towels before building a sandwich.  Otherwise, the bread gets soggy.

[MechAg94]

Don't worry, whatever it is, it is all FDA approved so you can be sure it is safe to eat.   

 

[dogmush]

This is a sign to stop eating processed, prepackaged meat analog.

[WLJ]

Well at least Spam is still......Spam

[K Frame]

This is a sign to stop eating processed, prepackaged meat analog.

And what, run down a squirrel in the park and cook it up at home?

[K Frame]

These days I have to dry off most brands of sliced deli ham with paper towels before building a sandwich.  Otherwise, the bread gets soggy.

The stuff I buy, Land O'Frost Black Forest or Honey Ham, doesn't need any kind of attention like that. It also fries up very nicely for a ham & egg breakfast sandwich.

[MechAg94]

And what, run down a squirrel in the park and cook it up at home?

You have a refrigerator and freezer I assume.  You don't have to do it the same day.   

[K Frame]

You have a refrigerator and freezer I assume.  You don't have to do it the same day.   

So... run down multiple squirrels and store them in my fridge and freezer?

[WLJ]

The cats bring squirrels home all the time. Haven't been inclined to ask if they would share.

[MechAg94]

So... run down multiple squirrels and store them in my fridge and freezer?

You could also see if any local Haitians have fresh meat.   

[dogmush]

And what, run down a squirrel in the park and cook it up at home?

There's a whole lot of space between "hunting down your own meat" and "buying meat product so shitty they have to add water".  Just by decent meats from a good butcher, preferably from animals that lived in the same time zone.

But since you brought it up, you live in N. Va IIRC, so who knows what crazy *expletive deleted*it the squerells there have been eating and drinking.  You are probably better off running down a vegan cyclist and cooking them up.  That's the closest thing to "Grass fed, Free Range" you have around, and they are pretty plentiful. If anything the population could use a little controlling.

[MillCreek]

^^^The times being what they are, I am glad to be a meat-eating cyclist.

[K Frame]

"There's a whole lot of space between "hunting down your own meat" and "buying meat product so shitty they have to add water".  Just by decent meats from a good butcher, preferably from animals that lived in the same time zone."

There's a whole lot of humorous sarcasm going on there, Sheldon.


As for "shitty meat products," unless your butcher is a full service butcher that goes from hoof to meat case following either Jewish or Arabic religious laws on meat prep, virtually anything you get is going to have water added. Even primals are likely to have water added as they're processed. 

Once those primals are broken down into individual cuts, it's virtually a guarantee that they're going to have some sort of water, or other allowed additive, added.


" so who knows what crazy *expletive deleted*it the squerells there have been eating and drinking. "

I'll have you know that our urban squirrels dine on the choicest hobos.

Maybe you'd prefer a nice, plump city pigeon?

[Ben]

I've been slacking off on getting good meat. I've been doing Costco, which is good, but not as good as "down the street". My little grocery store lost its butcher dept, and that was my "local meat" option, so I defaulted back to Costco. The local transmission repair place is supposed to have a nice meat counter, and I need to stop in there at some point and check it out.

There's a few other local choices, mostly small cattle guys, but it's all "fill out the order form" meat, which requires some planning, vs, " I want a ribeye for dinner today". 

[K Frame]

" The local transmission repair place is supposed to have a nice meat counter, "

they'd damned well better have a gun & ammo counter, too.

[cordex]

There's a whole lot of humorous sarcasm going on there, Sheldon.

Well, sarcasm anyway.

As for "shitty meat products," unless your butcher is a full service butcher that goes from hoof to meat case following either Jewish or Arabic religious laws on meat prep, virtually anything you get is going to have water added. Even primals are likely to have water added as they're processed. 

Once those primals are broken down into individual cuts, it's virtually a guarantee that they're going to have some sort of water, or other allowed additive, added.

I don't believe that is true.  My butcher is neither kosher nor halal and he doesn't add saline.  I have no idea if he's special in that regard or not, but there's an anecdote.

There's a few other local choices, mostly small cattle guys, but it's all "fill out the order form" meat, which requires some planning, vs, " I want a ribeye for dinner today". 

Worth it to have what you want in the freezer already.

I've got steaks and a lamb roast thawing for a family get together tomorrow.

[dogmush]

I don't believe that is true.  My butcher is neither kosher nor halal and he doesn't add saline.  I have no idea if he's special in that regard or not, but there's an anecdote.

Mine doesn't add water/saline either.

There's a few other local choices, mostly small cattle guys, but it's all "fill out the order form" meat, which requires some planning, vs, " I want a ribeye for dinner today". 

I think I mentioned it before, but I have taken to buying my Beef a 1/4 cow at a time, and 1/2 a pig for pork.  Does require having a decent freezer (Decent, not huge) but if I want a Ribeye for dinner, I have one.

This does require having a local meat source you trust.  (in my case farm and butcher combined) which I understand not everyone has available to them.

[cordex]

... I have taken to buying my Beef a 1/4 cow at a time, and 1/2 a pig for pork.

That does require using more roasts or ground than most people do.

[dogmush]

That does require using more roasts or ground than most people do.

Taco Teusday!  Plus Chop Cheese Sammichs on the cast iron griddle.  I run out of Ground beef before I do steak.  THe roasts I'll slow cooker on the weekends for lunch prep during the week.

Honestly the only thing I have trouble using up is stew beef and Short ribs.  Stew beef cause you gotta do a low and slow stew to get it nice and tender (FL weather not great for beef stew) and Short Ribs because I'm not very good at braising them yet, so I put them off.

My guy will also adjust (within reason) cuts of meat when you order the animal.  So more hot dogs and less ground meet, or less roasts more steaks if you want.

[Ben]

I think I mentioned it before, but I have taken to buying my Beef a 1/4 cow at a time, and 1/2 a pig for pork.  Does require having a decent freezer (Decent, not huge) but if I want a Ribeye for dinner, I have one.

With slight rearranging and not keeping as much in frozen pizzas and other junk food, between two refrigerators and a small chest freezer, I've got the freezer space. 

I'm gonna see what the transmission place keeps in stock. Otherwise, the police chief a couple doors down also runs cattle and sells 1/4s and 1/2s, and scuttlebutt is that he feeds his cows well, so I might give him a go. The local grocery store was just so convenient for having the butcher on-site and small quantities whenever you wanted, but they just never recovered from the covid times and are now not nearly what they were pre-covid.