If you are looking at beef sticks or meat sticks, two questions come first: what is in them, and how do they differ from jerky? Here are the answers for the NAKOTNE meat sticks we sell, taken from their labels. They are made in Latvia by SIA "Gaļas pārstrādes uzņēmums Nākotne", an IFS Food certified meat processor.
What NAKOTNE meat sticks are
Each label gives the full product name. Beef Sticks Original is a "dried, hot smoked beef snack", Pork Sticks Bacon a "dried, hot smoked pork snack" and Chicken Sticks Original a "dried, hot smoked chicken snack". Every pouch front says "READY TO EAT".
The first ingredient names the meat and its origin: beef ham, pork ham or chicken fillet, each marked "origin: EU". The front of each pouch says how much meat is used. On the beef sticks it reads: "It takes 170 g of beef for 100g beef sticks." The pork sticks take 160 g of pork and the chicken sticks 179 g of chicken per 100 g.
Seven flavours, three meats
We sell seven NAKOTNE stick flavours. Each comes in a pack of 8 × 35 g pouches, and all seven are in the Stick Mix.
- Beef sticks: Original, Cheese & Chives, Thai Sweet Chilli
- Pork sticks: Bacon, Paprika, Sour Cream & Onion
- Chicken sticks: Original
The flavour names describe the seasoning. Cheese & Chives, for instance, lists LACTOSE and WHEY powder but no cheese, and Bacon lists pork ham and smoke flavour but no bacon.
Meat sticks vs jerky: what the labels show
Sticks and jerky have a lot in common: both are dried, hot-smoked, ready-to-eat meat snacks in 35 g pouches, made with salt and the preservative sodium nitrite. Here is how the labels compare:
| Product | Meat listed first | Meat used per 100 g | Protein per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef sticks (3 flavours) | beef ham (origin: EU) | 170 g | 30 g |
| Pork sticks (3 flavours) | pork ham (origin: EU) | 160 g | 18.6 g |
| Chicken Sticks Original | chicken fillet (origin: EU) | 179 g | 28.1 g |
| Beef jerky (4 flavours) | beef ham (origin: EU) | 153–210 g | 33.9–41.6 g |
| Pork Jerky Original | pork loin (origin: EU) | 250 g | 53.7 g |
For beef, sticks and jerky start from the same cut: both list beef ham first. For pork they differ, with loin in the jerky and ham in the sticks. Per 100 g, the jerky declares more protein than the sticks: 33.9–41.6 g against 30 g for beef, and 53.7 g against 18.6 g for pork. The amount of meat used overlaps, though: 170 g of beef per 100 g of sticks, against 153 g (Barbeque, Jalapeño, Teriyaki) to 210 g (Original) for our beef jerky. The labels don't say how the meat is shaped into sticks, so the simplest way to compare the bite is to try both.
Allergens worth knowing
All seven stick flavours contain CELERY, which is in the spices. Three also contain milk, and one of them mustard:
- Cheese & Chives (beef) contains MILK (LACTOSE, WHEY powder) and MUSTARD.
- Paprika (pork) contains MILK (WHEY).
- Sour Cream & Onion (pork) contains MILK (WHEY powder, LACTOSE).
Every stick label also says the product may contain CEREALS containing gluten, SOY, EGGS and SULPHITES, and the flavours without milk or mustard in the recipe list those as "may contain" too.
Not an allergen, but worth knowing: Thai Sweet Chilli (beef) lists sugar and the sweetener aspartame among its ingredients, so it contains a source of phenylalanine. The pouch label always has the final word.
Storage and shelf life
Store the pouches at +2 to +25 °C. Once a pouch is open, eat it within 72 hours, without going past the best-before date. Unopened sticks keep for 12 months from production; the exact best-before date is printed on every pack. The oxygen absorber inside is not edible, and if the temperature changes, salt can appear on the surface.
How to choose
- By protein: all seven are high in protein. Per 100 g, the beef sticks declare 30 g, the chicken sticks 28.1 g and the pork sticks 18.6 g.
- Avoiding milk: Cheese & Chives, Paprika and Sour Cream & Onion contain it. The other four have no milk in the recipe but carry a "may contain MILK" warning.
- Sticks or jerky: the Party Mix puts both in one box, with 2 × Beef Jerky Original, 2 × Beef Jerky Teriyaki, 2 beef sticks and 2 pork sticks.
Meat sticks FAQ
What is the difference between beef sticks and beef jerky?
Both NAKOTNE products are dried, hot-smoked snacks made from beef ham (origin: EU). Per 100 g, the jerky declares 33.9–41.6 g of protein and the beef sticks 30 g. The sticks take 170 g of beef per 100 g, the jerky 153–210 g.
Are meat sticks ready to eat?
Yes. Every NAKOTNE stick pouch says "READY TO EAT", so you can eat them straight from the pack.
Do meat sticks need to be kept in the fridge?
The label does not ask for refrigeration: it gives a storage range of +2 to +25 °C. Once a pouch is open, eat it within 72 hours.
Are NAKOTNE meat sticks gluten-free?
We don't sell them as gluten-free. None of the seven labels highlights a cereal containing gluten among the ingredients, but every one says the sticks may contain CEREALS containing gluten.
Browse the beef sticks, pork sticks and chicken sticks, or try all seven in the Stick Mix (one pouch of each beef and pork flavour plus 2 × Chicken Sticks Original). We ship from Riga with DPD to 25 EU countries (parcel lockers in 17, courier in all), and returns are free within 14 days with a prepaid label. More answers are on our FAQ page.
