The Internet Loves This Protein-Packed Snack — But Is It Actually Good?

You might be familiar with dances, songs, or recipes that are trending on social media, but what about pre-packaged snacks? As TikTok and Instagram have become even more popular places for audiences to learn which new products — edible or not — are worth buying, there’s one food brand that clearly won over a lot of users: Chomps.

These meat sticks in brightly colored packaging, with the brand name boldly emblazoned in red letters on the front, have become increasingly visible on digital feeds over the past year. From parents packing Chomps into lunch boxes to adults relying on them for a little extra protein and quite a few influencers working with the Florida-headquartered company on paid partnerships, there’s a wide variety of content creators who are showing some love for the snack.

Chomps isn’t brand new, of course. The company was founded in 2012, but the amplifying powers of social media are now bringing it to the forefront of our feeds — and I can confirm it’s a product worth trying.

What are Chomps?

Chomps are meat jerky sticks, which means they’re comprised of dried, cured meat and seasonings. Curing is the process of preserving meat by removing moisture so that bacteria are unable to grow. Unlike many other cured meats, such as salami, which require slow drying, fermentation, or chemical curing agents to render them safe to eat, jerky is quickly and thoroughly dried out with a dehydrator or in a low-level oven setting. 

The first product from Chomps was the brand’s original beef jerky stick, but its lineup has since expanded to include both turkey- and venison-based sticks. (If you haven’t tried venison before, its rich and grassy flavor lends itself well to a dried jerky format.) The meats come in a variety of different flavors, like Smoky BBQ Beef, Pepperoni Seasoned Turkey, and Salt & Pepper Venison, but my favorite rendition — and the one my colleagues enjoyed most when sampling Chomps in the office — is the Taco Seasoned Beef, which is gently spiced with cumin, paprika, chili powder, and oregano.

No matter which variety of Chomps you try, you can expect these snacks to be salty, tangy, and dry. They taste similar to other beef jerky products, but I find them to be richer in flavor, a bit more acidic, and undeniably easier to chew.

Why do people love Chomps?

Besides their flavor — which is delicious but not mind-blowingly different from other excellent beef jerky — people love Chomps because these meat sticks have a stronger nutritional profile than many similar snacks on the market. Content creators cite a simpler ingredient list, high protein content, and ethical sourcing practices as reasons for loving the product.

Comparing Chomps to its most well-known competitor, Slim Jim, makes it readily apparent why people might opt for the former. The ingredients list for a Chomps Original Beef stick includes grass-fed and -finished beef, water, less than 2% of encapsulated lactic acid, sea salt, cultured celery powder (celery powder, sea salt), cherry powder, black pepper, red pepper, garlic powder, coriander, and a beef collagen casing for the exterior. Only one item in that list that might sound unfamiliar — lactic acid — which is used in cured meat products to prevent bacteria growth and lengthen shelf life.

In contrast, an original Slim Jim contains no fewer than 17 ingredients: beef, pork, mechanically separated chicken, water, textured soy flour, corn syrup, salt, less than 2% of natural flavors, dextrose, paprika, hydrolyzed soy protein, maltodextrin, lactic acid starter culture, barley malt extract, citric acid, soy lecithin, and sodium nitrate. In other words, Slim Jims are significantly more processed and contain more preservatives and synthetic flavorings.

The Chomps ingredients list ultimately translates to better nutrition facts. The internet-beloved meat sticks have 10 grams of protein per 32-gram serving, whereas the same serving size of Slim Jim has six grams of protein. Because both are preserved meat products, they inevitably have a high sodium content, but Chomps’ is notably lower, with 380 milligrams of sodium per serving, compared to Slim Jim’s 530 milligrams.

The distinction of “grass-fed and -finished beef” in the Chomps ingredients list is also significant. By itself, the term “grass-fed” on a food product label can be a bit nebulous, and its use is often poorly regulated. Some grass-fed cows may graze on pastures for 50% of their life, but then exclusively eat a grain-based diet in the months leading up to slaughter to help them quickly gain weight and improve the farm’s bottom line. 

A grass-finished label, on the other hand, indicates that the cattle ate only grass and foraged plants at the end of their life, and when paired with the term “grass-fed” this is a good sign that the animals were consistently fed properly. A grass diet is more comfortable for cows because it’s what their digestive system is meant to process — whereas consuming grains can cause issues like bloating, acid reflux, and the presence of harmful gut bacteria.

How should you eat Chomps?

Even though these snacks are technically a cured meat product, they don’t belong on your charcuterie board. Instead, my favorite way to use them is in what I call a “homemade lunchable.” (The company makes miniature versions called “Chomplings” that are ideal for a lunchable-style format.) Pack up a box with several snacky items — either for your kids or an easy office lunch — including cubes of cheddar cheese, crackers, carrot sticks, grapes, and Chomps. The meat sticks will add protein to the mix.

Chomps are also a perfect travel snack. They don’t need to be refrigerated, the individually packaged sticks are one serving each (so you’re not stuck with an open bag of uneaten food), and their high protein content will help keep you full for longer.

A pack of ten Chomps costs $24, or $2.40 each, when purchased directly from the brand’s website. Considering the high price of other proteins these days and what a bag of overpriced regular beef jerky will cost you at the airport, I’d say it’s well worth a try — and you might end up finding that these jerky sticks become a regular part of your grocery rotation.