Who Makes Great Value Beef Jerky? (Reviews, Quality + More)


Who Makes Great Value Beef Jerky

People ask, who makes Great Value Beef Jerky?

It’s important that you know where your food comes from. You can access the quality, nutritional value, how fresh it is, and whether or not you want to eat it! Some brands try to hide where their food comes from or keep the details vague.

Beef jerky is a great snack- it packs a ton of protein in every bite, which helps keep you full. One option is the Great Value beef jerky you can find at Walmart.

It tastes great, but do you know who makes Great Value Beef Jerky? Great Value beef jerky comes from a private label manufacturer, and U.S. and Canadian Walmart corporations distribute it. This private label is Jack Link’s, according to the USDA Est. Number. Great Value and Jack Link’s share many ingredients, appearance, taste, and texture because of this.

Is Great Value Beef Jerky Good?

Great Value food products can come from a lot of different sources. Some big brands, such as Kellogg’s, Danon, Kraft, and General Mills, may make food products for them.

However, Jack Link’s likely makes the beef jerky for Great Value. 

Jack Link’s offers a safe product- if you like the taste, then you’re going to like the Great Value beef jerky too! They both come from the same places. They also have similar textures and tastes.

Read also: Who Makes Kirkland Jerky (Beef, Turkey)

How Great Value and Jack Link’s Jerky are Similar

There are many similarities between Jack Link’s and Great Value beef jerky since they come from the same place. The main ingredient is beef, followed by water, salt, sugar, corn syrup, and various flavorings.

Both tastes very salty, with an underlying beef flavor. As for the texture, both are soft, chewy, and easy to tear apart. You also get occasionally rubbery pieces with both options.

There are also some differences, but they’re minor. The most important would have to be the price. You get a much better deal since you aren’t paying for the brand name with Great Value.

Where Does Great Value Beef Jerky Come From?

Since Great Value sources their beef jerky from Jack Link’s, you can expect them to come from the same location. But where exactly does this beef jerky come from?

The beef jerky industry is massive in South Dakota, making it the top choice for Jack Link’s to place their jerky plant in Alpena in 1994.

This plant is currently the largest in the world for beef jerky- so there’s a high chance your Great Value bag came from there!

However, there are seven plants in total. Aside from the plant in Alpena, South Dakota, there are also plants in the following locations:

  • New Glarus, Wisconsin
  • Mankato, Minnesota
  • Laurens, Iowa
  • Underwood, Iowa
  • Bellevue, Nebraska
  • Minong, Wisconsin (the original Jack Link’s plant)

Your beef jerky can come from any of these plants when Jack Link’s is the private labeler. 

Where Do They Get Their Beef?

It can be difficult to find accurate information about where these brands source their beef. When you search it online, most results discuss where the plants are- not where the beef actually comes from!

In 2016, Jack Link’s acquired the meat division of Grass Run Farms, a collaboration of family-owned farms focusing on producing fresh products. The group wants to change how beef comes to the table- all meat products are 100% grass-fed and contain no MSG.

Grass Run Farms also states that their beef always comes from pasture-raised cows. “Pasture-raised” means the cows get a good portion of their food from organic grass grown in a pasture.

 However, that doesn’t mean that’s all that they eat. For cows to be pasture-raised, at least 30% of their diet should come from grass.

Grass Run Farms also claims that their cattle never eat grain, animal by-products, hormones, or antibiotics.

This beef supplier is also not the only one that Jack Link’s (and Great Value) have. The company partners with other USDA-approved vendors to get their meat.

So, while there’s a chance the bag of jerky you have comes from Grass Run Farms, it could come from somewhere else when you get Great Value jerky.

Still, Jack Link’s says that all their beef comes from grass-fed cows only.

How Does Jack Link’s Make Beef Jerky?

Jack Link’s is one of the most popular brands that makes beef jerky today. The company uses lean cuts of meat and a 100-year-old recipe to mass-produce their snacks at jerky plants.

While the jerky has a lot of protein, it’s also very, very high in sodium- so don’t eat too much!

The company slowly smokes its meat, giving it plenty of time to dry and marinade. It never goes above 180°F (82°C), allowing the meat to absorb a ton of flavor.

The jerky absorbs different flavors depending on the type of wood used during smoking.

Once cured, the meat goes through an automated scale to ensure the packages get the required amount of food. Jack Link’s keeps most of their recipe and processes a secret.

Conclusion

To summarize, it’s incredibly likely that Jack Link’s is the provider of beef jerky for Great Value. The two share the same USDA Est. Number, which is unique to the plant where the food comes from.

Many people have noted the similarities between Great Value and Jack Link’s beef jerky.

However, while they’re nearly the same, Great Value offers the snack at a significantly lower price, making it the go-to beef jerky snack for many people.


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References

https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/7609-jack-link-s-buys-snacks-division-of-grass-fed-beef-company

https://grassrunfarms.com

Lindsey

Lindsey graduated with an MBA in 2009. Since then, Lindsey has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Lindsey is also the head writer and Co-founder of Rvandplaya.com. Lindsey is based in Morgantown, West Virginia.

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