Tyson Foods' new effort to break into the burgeoning "high protein" food craze, the "Tasty Bites" product line is their attempt at trying to exploit any happy medium that might exist between the die-hard, "tough guy" jerky and the typical, non-discerning snack food markets.
I saw it in Target yesterday, and despite the fact that it looks somewhat like dog food on the packaging, bought it anyway, because I was hungry and it was about 50 cents less expensive than any of Target's packages of beef jerky. This product is actually chicken; I didn't see any product variations other than this "Teriyaki" flavour.
The Verdict
I'd rather have the jerky. While this didn't taste terribly bad, and was a little more soft than most the packages of Pemmican I've ever bought, about half of the chunks were full of what appeared (and felt) to be long streaks of gristle, or vein, or something. While I guess this shouldn't make much of a difference, it was nonetheless the portion of the experience that tipped me back in the direction of traditional dried meat products. Futhermore, it seems to be slightly higher in fat and cholesterol counts, which might mean that it's not necessarily a better substitute -- even if you are on the Atkins Diet.