Enhanced meat, sometimes referred to as value-added meat, is any meat product that has been “enhanced” by the addition of a solution. In the United States, enhanced meat must be properly labeled according to the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines. There are a couple of different methods in which meat can be enhanced.
Typically, enhanced meat is simply a cut of meat that has been injected with a water solution that contains salt and sodium phosphate, a solution that is supposed to add both flavor and moisture to leaner cuts of meat. Such enhanced meat products are labeled accordingly and often bare words similar to “enhanced with up to 10% of a solution.” According to the FDA, meat animals are bred to be leaner than in years past and the addition of a solution, which constitutes enhanced meat products, helps make meat containing less fat moister and more flavorful.