Ewwww… Sometimes it’s best not to know some things. The above photo is/was chicken. After it is mechanically separated, it is then washed with ammonia because it is teeming with bacteria, and of course it will then be dyed…
The process of separating the meat (I use that term loosely) is done by machines, but the worst part of the processing is the chemicals they add to clean it and make it edible.
Advanced meat recovery (AMR) is a slaughterhouse process by which the last traces of usable meat are removed from bones and other carcass materials after the primal cuts have been carved off manually. – Wiki
The machinery used in this process separates meat from bone by scraping, shaving, or pressing the meat from the bone without breaking or grinding the bone. Product produced by advanced meat recovery machinery can be labeled using terms associated with hand-deboned product (e.g., “beef trimmings” and “ground beef”). AMR meat typically is used as an ingredient in products requiring further processing, such as hot dogs, bologna, chicken nuggets…
Folks, just be careful when you buy processed foods.