Abstract: Structured meat products, particularly structured raw meat products, are prepared by mixing comminuted meat or trimmings with powdered sodium alginate and powdered calcium carbonate. A slow release acid, such as glucono-delta-lactone, citric acid, lactic acid and the like, can also be added. The slow hydrolysis of the powdered form of such acids slowly lowers the pH of the meat to improve its flavor, but still ultimately produces enough hydrogen ions to stimulate the release of sufficient calcium ions from the calcium salt to accelerate formation of an algin/calcium gel. In either case, after being formed into the desired shape, the meat is stored, usually under refrigeration, from about one to four days to allow the algin/calcium gel to set. Thereafter, the resulting structured meat product can be conveniently portioned, packaged and marketed as a refrigerated raw meat product, a frozen raw meat product, or precooked and marketed refrigerated or frozen.