Your Questions Answered: ‘Meat Glue’

There’s a new controversy sizzling in the meat industry. How do you know if that steak you order in a restaurant is a quality piece of meat, or just some scraps held together with “meat glue?”

The meat industry is responding to shocking allegations about the use of “meat glue.”

The FDA classifies Transglutiminase as “generally recognized as safe.” It’s a white powder that bonds pieces of meat together once they are heated. Experts say the concern isn’t about the substance itself, but how the meat is handled when using it.

Food safety attorney Bill Marler says bacteria is killed on the outside of meat when it’s cooked. But when meat is glued together, it’s possible that some of the bacteria ends up on the inside of the meat, and if a rare piece of meat is ordered, the bacteria might not get killed.