What's In A Slim Jim? The Inner Workings Of The Mysterious 'Meat Stick'
It’s the beginning of summer, and families and friends from New York to California are packing their flip flops, camping gear, and festival sneakers for a road trip to adventure. No road trip is complete without obligatory snacks, however, especially if the ride is going to take more than two hours. So, most people go for quick snacks like Combos, chips, and beef jerky. Inevitably, some people are going to pick up a Slim Jim, most likely because they see one and think of that catchy slogan, growled by wrestler Randy Savage, “Snap into a Slim Jim!”
As Americans increasingly try to avoid additives in their store-bought food, however, and begin to read labels more, it would make sense that they’d check the ingredient list on Slim Jims the second they pick it up. What’s in this salty, delicious snack labeled, suspiciously, as a “meat stick?”
“Meat there is,” a Wired video on the inner components of the treat says, “depending on your definition.” Indeed there is meat in the Slim Jim. But if you take a moment to remember the controversy surrounding McDonald’s use of “pink slime” in their chicken nuggets and burgers, then you’ll understand the exact ingredient used as a filler for Slim Jim’s meat base. Still, there are many other ingredients that aren’t so weird, and cool lactobacteria, which help keep other pathogenic bacteria out.
Although this is enough to make some people swear off of Slim Jim for the rest of their lives, it’s still a pretty good snack. Stay hungry, my friends.