ok, I found this...this is really gross...I don't think I want to eat Slim Jims or anything containing "mechanically separated chicken" again...ewww...
"MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN is a paste-like and batter-like poultry product produced by forcing bones with attached edible tissue through a sieve or similar device under high pressure to separate bone from the edible tissue. Mechanically separated poultry has been used in poultry products since 1969. In 1995, a final rule on mechanically separated poultry said it would be used without restrictions. However, it must be labeled as 'mechanically separated chicken or turkey' in the ingredients statement. The final rule became effective November 4,1996. "
November 4, starting today poultry products made from tissue that has been mechanically removed from scraps and already stripped carcasses -- the materials are fed through a sieve, to separate and discard most of the bone -- must be labeled as containing "mechanically separated chicken" or "mechanically separated turkey." The purpose of this requirement, mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, is to inform consumers that products processed in this way, including poultry nuggets, patties, frankfurters, and luncheon meats, do not consist simply of ground meat; they may also contain skin, bone, bone marrow, and the kidneys and sex glands of immature birds. The FSIS regulation was prompted in large part by a lawsuit brought against the USDA by manufacturers of red-meat sausages, who, along with other meat producers, have since 1978 been obliged to label mechanically separated beef, lamb, and pork as such.
http://altervistas.com/sites/weird/27/
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Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.
-Albert Einstein