Is Your Jerky Real Beef? Check Your Label Now
Not all jerky is mostly beef. Some brands stretch it with starches, soy protein and gums, or use vague "meat" instead of a named cut. Answer five questions from the label on your bag and this checker tells you how much of it is likely to be real beef.
Beef jerky authenticity checker
Answer from the ingredient list and nutrition panel.
US labels list ingredients by weight, most to least. This reads the label; it cannot test the meat.
How to read a jerky label
- Order matters. Ingredients are listed by weight. Beef should come first.
- Watch the fillers. Starches, soy protein isolate and gums bulk a product up without adding beef.
- Named beats vague. "Beef" or a named cut tells you what you have. "Meat," "meat byproducts" or "mechanically separated" can mean scraps.
- "Natural" is not a guarantee. Read the ingredients anyway.
- The nutrition panel is regulated. If protein is low and starch is high on the list, that is the story.
The simpler option: biltong
Biltong is whole muscle, cut with the grain, washed in vinegar, salted, spiced and air-dried for days. It is never heated and needs no binders. Our Original has six ingredients: beef, coriander, black pepper, salt, garlic and vinegar. No MSG, no nitrates, no added sugar.
Buying kosher? Try the kosher label checker. Everything we make is certified Glatt Kosher; shop our kosher beef jerky and biltong.
YOU'LL WANT TO EAT OUR MEAT
No chemically created, sand-paper tasting jerky here. Just a healthy and addicting snack.