Meats are tricky. They are not FDA mandated but regulated by the USDA. They follow the same practices, but the milk can sometimes be hidden. I find their labeling to be a bit more lax, don’t know if that’s just my experience, or if anyone else shares the same struggles. (Either way I wanted to warn you!)
A couple of things to be aware of:
Lactic acid starter culture is very commonly found in processed meats. Another thing to call the manufacture about is the “spices” or “flavorings” they use. Sometimes there is milk in them. For more info on other milk keywords to look out for check out What’s Safe, What’s Not.
Cross contamination is one of the other issues when it comes to meat. Purchasing meat from the deli is super risky, a risk we choose not to take. Meat slicers tend to also become cheese slicers and the lack of changing gloves between slicers really means even though they are ‘cleaned’ they are hugely contaminated with milk. Definitely something I would urge to stay away from.
Here are the meat brands that we use regularly- And I’m a visual person and need pictures to help me know what to look for when shopping, so I included pictures, hopefully it’ll help you some too:
Land O’ Frost- We’ve used most their ham, chicken, and turkey flavors. I always double check ingredients, but so far they have been dairy-free.
Applegate Farms- We’ve used their lunchmeats and hotdogs.
Jennie-O- We use a lot of their products. Their hotdogs are a family favorite in our home. We also regularly buy their: turkey bacon, ground turkey, turkey burgers and keilbasa.
Smithfield- They are our go to for large hams & traditional bacon.
Butterball- Whole turkeys; really look at other brands ingredients, they almost always infuse them with milk. Yes, I am serious!!
Tyson- They are our go-to for chicken nuggets.
Have other favorite meat brands? Comment below!
What more info on how products can be labeled?
Check out our Product Labeling & What’s Safe What’s Not?