The first review on Game Day Snacks will be on a 3 ounce/56 gram bag of their sweet barbecue flavored steak snacks. This particular bag is for the Nittany Lion, the mascot for Penn State University. This bag was kindly submitted for review by the Scenic City Snacks team.
The Game Day Snacks brand is distributed by Scenic City Brands, and based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The jerky is actually manufactured by Dearborn Brand, located in Dearborn, Michigan. Game Day Snacks was officially launched in October of 2014. They are the only officially licensed NCAA meat snack in America, where they have partnered with 29 of the top schools. College sports have the largest fan base in the US with over 172 million fans. In September 2015, an exciting new partnership with the New York Yankees will begin, where Game Day Snacks is “stepping up to the plate”.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Beef, Seasoning (Honey Granules (Refinery Syrup, Honey), Brown Sugar, Sugar, Salt, Paprika, Spices, Garlic, Onion, Molasses (Refiners Syrup, Cane Mill Molasses, Cane Caramel Color), Smoke Flavor (Maltodextrin, Natural Smoke Flavor, Silicon Dioxide)), Bbq Sauce (Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Vinegar, Corn Syrup, Salt, Food Starch- Modified, Contains Less Than 2% Of Soybean Oil, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Mustard Flour, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavor, Red 40, Blue 1), Salt, Sodium Nitrite. Allergen Warnings: Soy
Worth noting, we have been told by the marketing director that a “cleaner” version of this jerky will be available in the spring of 2016.
The barbecue sauce used here is not healthy. Chiefly because the highly processed sweetener High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is used. Also not good, the artificial colors red 40 and blue 1 are used.
There are some good ingredients used such as the vegetables garlic and onion. Several different spices are used, which are healthy also.
The sugar level is very high at 9 grams of sugar per 28 grams of beef steak. For a sweet based flavor as we have here, the preference is 5 grams of sugar or under. The salt level is also very high at 580mg of salt per 28 grams of beef steak. Our preference is 350mg of salt or less.
This jerky does use unhealthy sodium nitrite as the main preservative, apart from salt. While this jerky is advertised to be MSG free, we respectfully disagree. The highly processed flavor enhancer hydrolyzed soy protein is used, which is believed to be a form of MSG. Being hydrolyzed also makes it an unhealthy type of trans fat.
Bad (3/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
These strips are small to medium in size, and sliced to a medium thickness. As advertised, there is a soft and tender texture, but just barely. There are no visible signs of fat, and handling these steak strips leaves no oily residue on your fingers.
The first taste detected is a moderate to medium tomato flavor, which takes on a sort of barbecue taste. It is safe to say that this is a fairly salty flavor.
There is a moderate sweetness that tends to mute the natural beef flavor. A light combination of garlic and onion is noticeable, as is a mild soy flavor. In the background, there is a certain smoked flavor. Overall, a decent tasting barbecue flavor.
A 3 ounce/85 gram bag retails for $5.50, but you have to buy a minimum of four bags. That works out to $1.83 an ounce, which rates as an average price. Given that an unhealthy ingredient is used, this jerky is not recommended as worth your money. As mentioned earlier, a “cleaner” version of this jerky will be available in the spring of 2016. They are also going to introduce a new Original flavor.
Bag Review
This plastic resealable bag has everything imprinted directly on the bag, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed. The logo displayed is of the Nittany Lion, which is the mascot for Penn State University.
The slogan on this bag is “We Are… Penn State”. There are some facts printed on this bag such as “All Natural Beef”, “Made in USA”, “Minimally Processed”, and “No Artificial Ingredients”. We respectfully disagree with the no artificial ingredients claim, where red 40 and blue 1 are artificial colors.
All bag categories are covered. There is a good blurb about these beef steaks printed on the back. To their credit, a toll free phone number is provided for customer inquiries. A QR code is also provided to follow the Nittany Lions.
| The second bag listed is for the university of Michigan. |
| The third bag listed is for Michigan State University. |
| The fourth bag listed is for University of Tennessee. |
| The fifth bag listed is for University of Florida. |
Excellent (10/10) – Bag Rating
Check out their web site: www.gamedaysnacks.net
Is there anyway I can order some of the jerky? I have been unable to find it. Or maybe you can tell me where it is located in Pensacola, Florida. Thank You
Hi Cia, you can order Game Day Snacks jerky from this URL: https://threestarbrands.com/
is there only one kind of psu beef jerky now
our bag i just bourgh states original but i see one bag here on the site that states bbq flavor!! are they all one in the same or is there 2 different flavors and I just cant find them??
Hi my name Joel I like snacks and dis beef jerky look like good snack would I like it? Love Joel.