Just a Quick Question About Edible Dyestuff Ink On Meat

[Beorn]

Hi, I'm just cooking up some chops and I've noticed quite a few of them have red branding on them. Should I be cutting this off or is it OK to eat? Apparently it's edible dyestuff ink but I haven't been able to find out what's in it.

In Australia it's called "Meat Branding Red GM242" and "GM403 Meat Marking Fast Dry Red". I can't find a list of ingredients anywhere. _http://www.mixa.com.au/meat_branding

At the moment I'm cutting it off but I'm not sure if I'm being too pedantic or not...

 

[mcb]

Interesting question. I don't know the answer. I haven't seen those marks here in California (USA) for many years. If it's easily removed without losing a significant amount of meat or fat, I would trim it (or even wash it off if possible).

If you have any tendency toward hyperactivity then you probably don't want any food coloring, and then there is the question of what happens to the food color chemically when you cook the meat. On the other hand, it's such a small amount, but trace amounts can be real trouble if you are sensitive to it.

 

[Beorn]

If it's easily removed without losing a significant amount of meat or fat, I would trim it (or even wash it off if possible).

It's kind of like a tattoo so I'm just trimming it off. Unfortunately some of the fat is lost, but unless I can find out whats in the ink it's probably the best thing to do.