Meijer is a family business. They believe in treating each other with dignity and respect. They are committed to strengthening the communities we serve. Meijer is known for its freshness. Focusing on fresh food, thinking, and innovation makes them better at serving their customers. Fred Meijer always said, “Customers don’t need us. We need them.” At Meijer, they focus on our customers and thrive by meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations.
This Meijer jerky brand is distributed under the name of Meijer Distribution, Inc., and it is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This jerky is manufactured by an unknown private labeler (I have a guess), and this jerky flavor is most likely a stock recipe.
The next review on Meijer will focus on a 2.85 ounce/81 gram bag of Hot flavored beef jerky. The bag was purchased at a gas station in Marysville, Michigan.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Sweetener (Cane Sugar, Honey), Brown Sugar, Salt, Cracked Black Pepper, Less Than 2%: Spices, Cultured Celery Powder, Sea Salt, Onion, Garlic, Natural Flavor.
The beef used is not guaranteed to be free of growth hormones or additional antibiotics. Also, the beef is not guaranteed to have at least partial free range access to graze on grass. As a result, the highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
There is no liquid marinade used. Some people would call this old fashioned jerky or a jerky rub.
Some healthy ingredients added are spices and garlic. The vague term natural flavor is listed, which can contain healthy or unhealthy ingredients. It is unknown how the heat is achieved.
The sugar level is high at 7 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 4 grams of sugar or less for a hot based flavor. The salt level is high at 520mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose another rating. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Admirably, this flavor does qualify to have no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
MEIJER – HOT BEFF JERKY
I can smell processed beef’s fragrance and not much else when I open the bag. These strips are mostly sliced to a medium size and sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is somewhat dry and relatively easy to chew. No oily residue is left on your fingers handling these jerky strips.
The first flavors I am met with are moderate saltiness and sweetness, faint garlic, onion, black pepper, and processed beef taste. As processed tasting beef goes, there is worse out there. There is no grain to tear these strips, and the sweetness drowns out the natural beef flavor. In the background is a faint taste of smoke.
As for the heat, it barely registers on the heat scale. At best, the heat is at a one out of five. Certainly not enough to justify a hot flavor name, where this jerky flavor would more accurately be named spicy, and even that is pushing it. There is not much else going on with this flavor, which tastes pedestrian.
This 2.85 ounce/81 gram bag of jerky sells for $3.89, which equates to $1.36 an ounce. That rates as a very cheap price.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has everything imprinted on the bag, both on the front and back.
There are no slogans displayed. Some facts displayed are “Natural Smoke Favoring”, “No Added Artificial Preservatives”, “No Artificial Flavors”, “Minimally Processed”, “11g Protein Per Serving”, and “Gluten Free”.
The only missing bag category is a blurb about this jerky or company. There is a fair amount of unused space both on the front and back. To the credit of Meijer, a satisfaction guarantee is offered.
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