I’ve created an Apple Music Playlist to play in the background and help me write cowboy stories for Christmas. I’ll be publishing them on Amazon’s Kindle platform. (Midjourney synthograph)
The festive season always stirs a potpourri of emotions. As I craft a series of cowboy romance short stories this year, I’ve found solace in an eclectic Apple Music playlist of holiday songs, each echoing the ambiance of the West.
At the pinnacle of my list is the enchanting “Christmas Cowboy Style” by Michael Martin Murphey, seamlessly marrying the holiday spirit with the rustic allure of cowboy culture. But the playlist boasts more than just cowboy tunes. Tracks like “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” by Buck Owens and “Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton bring their own charm.
Diving deeper into the playlist, John Denver’s “Please, Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)” strikes a sad and, unfortunately, familiar chord. The song poignantly speaks to the heartbreak of children witnessing the struggles of alcoholic fathers, especially during a season meant to be merry.
Yet, the playlist has its quirks, too. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Christmas at Ground Zero” takes us on a wild departure from traditional holiday tunes, presenting a satirical take on the festive season that’s uniquely “Weird Al.”
There’s a story and a song for every emotion in the world of cowboy romance, Christmas songs, and tales of heartache and humor. And as I write, I’m reminded of the joy, pain, love, and laughter the season brings.
It isn’t even Halloween yet, but it’s never too early for me to wish everyone a tapestry of tales, tunes, and delightful holiday memories.
I like this product. I dislike that the presence of chicken is not stated on the front of the packaging.
Is Tyson Foods less than transparent by failing to state on the front packaging of its Jimmy Dean English Muffin Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches that the meat is a blend of pork and mechanically separated chicken?
Consumers like me, who grew up seeing commercials in which Jimmy Dean touted the pure pork in his company’s sausage products, will naturally assume that these sandwiches are solely made from pork.
They’re not.
Jimmy Dean English Muffin Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches contain a mixture of pork and chicken.
I don’t have a problem with that, just with the fact you won’t know it unless you happen to inspect the ingredients list on the side panel. Dozens of other manufacturers’ products spell out the components of their meat right on the front label or panel.
Why isn’t Tyson doing so?
Recently, I voiced my concerns to Tyson Foods, and the only response they sent was that they would pass my concerns on to the quality control team. The company then mailed me a free coupon for the product in question.
I think I got blown off with Form Response No. 7B. What do you think?
Here’s the message I sent. . .
Mechanically separated chicken is revealed in the ingredients list.
Dear Tyson Consumer Relations Team,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing as a long-standing and loyal consumer of your Jimmy Dean product range, specifically the English Muffin Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches. I have appreciated and enjoyed your products for many decades, and they have been a staple in my household since Jimmy Dean introduced his line in the late 1960s.
However, I recently discovered some information on the packaging of this product that left me feeling disappointed and deceived. Upon scrutinizing the ingredients list, I learned that the sausage, as advertised on the front of the package, is not purely pork, as I had assumed, but also contains mechanically separated chicken. This was a surprise, as the product’s marketing and branding led me to believe I was consuming a higher-quality product.
I understand that Tyson is likely meeting all legal requirements in labeling. Still, the fact that this crucial information about the content of your sausage is not immediately visible or accessible to the consumer seems, frankly, deliberately deceptive. The information is tucked away in tiny print on one of the side panels, which many consumers, including myself, might easily overlook.
I find it disheartening that Tyson, a brand I have trusted for so long, seems to take such measures to hide the presence of what many consumers would consider to be a cheap filler meat in a premium product. Other manufacturers appear to have no issue with upfront disclosure about their product’s ingredients, leading me to wonder why Tyson opts for a different approach.
It feels to me like a betrayal of the quality and transparency that Mr. Jimmy Dean himself advocated when he marketed his products as “pure pork sausage.” I am sure I am not alone in feeling that Tyson has strayed far from this ideal.
I truly enjoy the Jimmy Dean English Muffin Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches, and I would like to continue purchasing this product. However, my personal principles dictate that I cannot support a product that I believe is deceptively marketed.
In conclusion, I hope you will take my feedback into account and consider making your product ingredients more transparent to consumers. I believe this action would enhance trust, increase consumer satisfaction, and align more closely with Jimmy Dean’s original values of quality and honesty.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Leigh T. Hanlon
Why can’t Tyson Foods declare meat ingredients on the front of its packaging like Jack’s Pizza does? Attaboy, Jack!
L.T. Hanlon 