“Fake beef” isn’t taking over grocery stores but highly processed meat products are everywhere in the U.S. Between burgers, nuggets, deli slices, and plant-based patties, many foods sold as “meat” are actually restructured products: ground, separated, blended, seasoned, shaped, and standardized for shelf life and consistency. Under rules overseen by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, these foods are still legally meat but nutritionally they can differ from a simple cut you’d recognize.