Beef jerky I do not think is that bad... obviously that could depend greatly at the quality of the meat going in... if you look at what the actual process is you will better understand why beef jerky is not that bad: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerky_%28food%29

"Throughout human history and cultures, drying meat has been a common method employed to preserve it. By drying thinly sliced meat in the sun and wind next to a smoky fire, the meat is protected from insects that lay their eggs in the raw meat. Such methods to preserve meat have been used by the Inca people; they often prepared llama jerky (made from llama meat)."

As you mayhave noted I get a bit freaked out about the food I eat and the conditions it is cooked and stored in. I am guessing the biggest difference between an off the shelf meat and a freshly slight meat is the moisture and salt/prevservative content...also add to that vacume sealing which help preserve it.

One thing that has freaked me out lately has been expiration dates on milk...I rarely drink it, BUT when I buy it, I get organic milk, which you would think would have a shorter shelf life? One brand has at least a month long date range? I thought regular milk was like 2 weeks... scary stuff.