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Pink slime
InventorEldon Roth[1]
Inception2001 (human use)
earlier for pet food
ManufacturerBeef Products Inc., others
AvailableAvailable
Current supplierBeef Products Inc., others
Look up pink slime, lean finely textured beef, LFTB, or beef in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Pink slime, also known as lean finely textured beef (LFTB) [2] and boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT)[3], is a beef-based food additive that may be added to ground beef and beef-based processed meats as an inexpensive filler.[4][5] It consists of finely ground beef scraps, sinew, fat, and connective tissue which have been mechanically removed in a heated centrifuge at 100°F (38°C)[6] from the fat into liquid fat and a protein paste.[7][8] The recovered material is then processed, heated, and treated with ammonia gas[1] or citric acid to kill E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria. It is finely ground, compressed into blocks and flash frozen for use as an additive to beef products.[9][10] The term pink slime was coined in 2002 by Gerald Zirnstein, who at that time was a microbiologist for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service,[7] but some state officials have objected to the nickname, saying that "lean, finely textured beef is the proper name."[11]

In the United States, the additive itself cannot legally be sold directly to consumers, but can constitute up to 15% of ground beef without additional labeling,[9] and can also be added to other meat products such as beef-based processed meats.[9] Prior to the invention of the disinfection process, beef scraps could only be sold as pet food or as an ingredient for cooking oil.[4]

Widespread public attention was drawn to the product in March 2012 by a series of reports at ABC News, which reported at that time that 70 percent of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contained the product.[12] Subsequently, many grocery stores and supermarkets, including the nation's three largest chains, announced that they would no longer sell products containing the additive.[13] Manufacturer Beef Products Inc. (BPI) and meat industry organizations have countered the public concern by stating that the additive is in fact beef, and have begun using the slogan "beef is beef".[5][9][14][15]

Pink slime is not permitted in Canada. In a statement, Health Canada stated that: "Ammonia is not permitted in Canada to be used in ground beef or meats during their production." Such products also may not be imported, as Canadian law requires that imported meat products meet the same standards and requirements as domestic meat.[16][17] Canada does allow Finely Textured Meat to be "used in the preparation of ground meat" and "identified as ground meat" under certain conditions.[18] Pink slime also does not meet the legal requirements for sale in the United Kingdom.[19] Pink slime has also been banned in the European Union.[20]

History

Ground beef. Pink slime is a beef-based product that is often added to ground beef. It was reported in March 2012 that 70% of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contained pink slime.[12]

In 1994, in the wake of public health concerns over pathogenic E. coli in beef, Eldon Roth, founder of Beef Products Inc. (BPI), began work on the "pH Enhancement System," which disinfects meat using ammonia.[21][22] The additive was approved for human consumption by the USDA in 2001. Some USDA scientists had argued against approval, saying that it was not "meat" and was in fact "salvage," but were overruled;[4] approval was ultimately granted by then-Under Secretary of Agriculture JoAnne Smith, who according to former USDA microbiologist Carl Custer stated "It's pink, therefore it's meat."[12] Smith left the USDA in 1993 and joined the board of directors of BPI's principal supplier, where according to ABC News she made at least $1.2 million over 17 years.[12] In 2007, the USDA determined the disinfection process was so effective that it would be exempt from "routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public."[22]

The term "pink slime" was coined by Dr. Gerald Zirnstein to refer to the resulting products in an internal email which Zirnstein wrote after the product was approved by the USDA over his objections.[4] Zirnstein has stated "I do not consider the stuff to be ground beef, and I consider allowing it in ground beef to be a form of fraudulent labeling."[22] The email was subsequently released to the New York Times following a Freedom of Information Act request for information used in a December 2009 New York Times investigative piece, which questioned the safety of the meat treated by this process—pointing to occasions in which process adjustments were not effective—and referenced "pink slime" in passing.[8][22] The next week, the newspaper published an editorial reiterating the concerns posed in the news article. A retraction stated it had "said incorrectly that two 27,000-pound (12,247 kg) batches of processed beef had been recalled. The contamination of the meat was discovered by the company in its plant before the beef was shipped. No meat produced by Beef Products, Inc. has been linked to any illnesses or outbreaks."[23]

Production process

The production process uses heat in centrifuges to separate the fat from the meat in beef trimmings.[24] The resulting product is exposed to ammonia gas or citric acid to kill bacteria.[24][25] Gaseous ammonia changes into ammonium hydroxide when it comes in contact with moisture present in the meat.[1] The product sold by BPI introduces the trimmings to ammonium hydroxide (a solution of ammonia in water), while the Cargill product uses citric acid in lieu of ammonium hydroxide.[26] Part of the manufacturing process at BPI includes extruding the material through long tubes that are thinner than a pencil, during which time the meat is exposed to gaseous ammonia.[1][27]

The product is sold in the U.S. to food companies which use it in ground beef production. A 2008 Washington Post article suggested the content of most beef patties containing the substance approaches 25%.[28] Most is produced and sold by Beef Products, Inc. (BPI), Cargill Meat Solutions and Tyson Foods.[22][29]

Controversy

Public attention was drawn to the product in March 2012 by a series of reports at ABC News, which reported at that time that 70 percent of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contained pink slime.[12] It has been described as "essentially scrap meat pieces compressed together and treated with an antibacterial agent."[30] In the U.S., beef can be labeled "100 percent ground beef" even if it contains up to 15 percent pink slime,[31][32] and currently in the U.S., only if a USDA Organic label is present can consumers know that the beef contains no pink slime.[9] Source areas may include, but are not limited to, the most contaminated portions of cattle,[5] such as near the hide which is often exposed to fecal matter.[9][33] The nature of the product and the manner in which it is processed led to concerns that it might be a risk to human health, despite the fact that there have been no reported cases of foodborne illnesses due to consumption of the product.[34][35][36]

Media reporting dramatically reduced its acceptance as an additive to ground beef, leading many retailers and wholesalers to stop using the product, or to label their meats "pink slime-free." The reaction against the product has been partially credited to Bettina Siegel's Change.org petition that has landed over a quarter million signatures to ban it in school lunches.[9] The product has been described as "disgusting" and "gross" by consumer advocates, but "safe to eat" by the USDA and Beef Products, Inc., the manufacturer. However in an interview, Zirnstein and his colleague Carl Custer, also a former USDA microbiologist, stated that they consider the substance a "salvage product" rather than meat.[37]

Consumer advocacy groups have pressed for its elimination or for mandatory disclosure of additives in beef,[38][39][5][9][15] but a spokesperson from Beef Products Inc. said there was no need for any additional labeling, asking "What should we label it? It's 100 percent beef, what do you want us to label it? I'm not prepared to say it's anything other than beef, because it's 100 percent beef."[40]

Pink slime has been called "an unappetizing example of industrialized food production."[41] The Center for Science in the Public Interest, nutritionist Andy Bellatti, and food policy writer Tom Laskawy have variously noted that the product is "unappetizing, but perhaps not more so than other things that are routinely part of hamburger,"[42] is "one of many symptoms of a broken food system,"[43] and is only one of several chemicals routinely added to industrially-produced meat in the United States, respectively.[44]

Consumer concerns

U.S. consumers have expressed concerns that ground beef which contains pink slime is not labeled as such, and that consumers are currently unable to make informed purchasing decisions due to this lack of product labeling.[5]

A Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Red Robin and released on April 4, 2012 found that 88% of U.S. adults were aware of the "pink slime" issue, and that of those who were aware 76% indicated that they were "at least somewhat concerned," with 30% "extremely concerned." Some 53% of respondents aware of pink slime took some action, such as researching ground beef they purchase or consume or decreasing or eliminating ground beef consumption.[45]

Red Robin study on pink slime
Issue Figure
Aware of pink slime issue 88%
Somewhat concerned about PS 76%
Extremely concerned about PS 30%
Took some action due to PS 53%
Researched restaurant or
grocer GB source		 24%
Decreased/stopped consuming
GB at restaurants		 22%
Decreased/stopped buying
GB at grocers		 25%
Notes: PS = pink slime, GB = ground beef

Source: Survey of 2,222 American adults, March 29 - April 2, 2012[46]

Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, a Democrat, called upon the USDA to institute mandatory labeling guidelines for ground beef sold in supermarkets, so consumers can make informed purchasing decisions.[33]

USDA response

In a statement on March 22, 2012, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety Elisabeth A. Hagen stated that "The process used to produce LFTB is safe and has been used for a very long time. And adding LFTB to ground beef does not make that ground beef any less safe to consume."[2]

Effect on meat industry

On March 25, 2012, BPI announced it would suspend operations at three of its four plants.[10][47] The three plants produced a total of about 900,000 pounds of the product per day.[3]

On April 3, 2012, U.S. cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were at a 3.5-month low, which was partially attributed to the pink slime affair. Livestock traders stated that: "It has put a dent in demand. It is bullish for live cattle over the long-term, but short-term it is certainly negative."[48][49]

Politician and media plant tour

Iowa governor Terry Branstad is a proponent of pink slime's use in beef products.

Following the suspension of operations at the plants, members of the media and leaders were invited to tour the facilities by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, a Republican.[15] The founders of BPI gave campaign contributions to Branstad in 2010,[15] and to other Republican candidates' campaigns.[50] Texas Governor Rick Perry, Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, and South Dakota Lieutenant Governor Matt Michels, all Republicans from meat-producing states, toured the South Sioux City, Nebraska plant in an attempt to allay what they called "inaccurate information" that they claimed as having caused "an unnecessary panic among consumers."[51] The publicity tour emerged with the promotional slogan, "Dude, it's beef!"[15] News reporters were not allowed to ask employees at BPI any questions during the tour.[15] BPI assert that social media and ABC News "grossly misrepresented" their product.[15] Not all commentators accepted the new promotion.[52]

On March 28, 2012, Branstad said that "The problem is, we take this off the market, then we end up with a fatter product that’s going to cost more and it’s going to increase the obesity problem in this country."[51] Safeway and other retailers that have removed pink slime from their shelves or product lines have stated they will not raise the price of their beef.[9] Branstad also stated that he will recommend that Iowa state public schools continue to use ground beef which contains LFTB, in which he plans to "send a letter to the state's public schools, encouraging them to continue to buy LFTB."[53]

Abstention and product divestment

Food manufacturers

Several U.S. food manufacturers have publicly stated that they do not use pink slime in their products, including ConAgra Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corporation and Kraft Foods Inc.[54]

Grocery retailers

Costco Wholesale Corporation stated that they do not use beef containing pink slime because it is not up to their standards. Publix, Whole Foods Market, H-E-B and Fresh and Easy also have stated they do not sell products containing the additive.[5][55][56][57] Fresh and Easy in fact capitalized on the controversy by offering to trade meat from its competitors containing the additive for its own pink slime-free meat free for up to two pounds for several days.[58] Gerrity’s Supermarkets stated that it never knowingly sold the product but that it had amended its policy to demand its suppliers certify their meat as pink slime free.[57]

In 2012, food distributors Safeway, the second-largest in the nation, halted the sale of beef containing the additive at its Safeway, Carrs, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randall's, Tom Thumb, Simon David, Pak'nSave, Vons, and Pavilions stores.[59] Supervalu, the third-largest in the nation, stopped selling products containing the additive at its SuperValu, Lucky, Acme, Farm Fresh, Cub Foods, Hornbacher's, Save-A-Lot, Shaw's, Jewel-Osco, Shop 'n Save, The Market, Shoppers Food, and Albertsons stores due to "considerable customer concern."[60][9][56]

Kroger, America's largest supermarket chain, also stopped selling beef with pink slime in it.[61] releasing a statement that says: "Our customers have expressed their concerns that the use of lean finely textured beef—while fully approved by the USDA for safety and quality—is something they do not want in their ground beef. As a result, Kroger will no longer purchase ground beef containing lean finely textured beef."[62]

Food Lion and its subsidiaries Harveys Supermarkets, Bloom, and Bottom Dollar Food have also banned the product.[9] Meijer,[63] Lowes Foods,[27] and Bi-Lo/Winn-Dixie also announced that they would no longer sell products containing pink slime.[64] Ahold's grocery stores, Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover, stopped selling items containing LFTB on March 22, 2012, based on customer concerns.[65] Giant Eagle also eliminated the product describing "questions, confusion, and a decline in consumer confidence in the product" as its rationale.[66] In April 2012 Shaw's and Star Market, Market Basket, Hannaford Bros. Co., and Target all reported they would stop selling beef with the product.[67] Officials with Market Basket stated that although they consider the product to be "perfectly safe," that pink slime is a "misleading" term, and that the reaction to it is a "panic," since the public "doesn't want it in there... we pulled it out."[67] Wegmans will continue selling the item until it can procure pink slime-free ground beef and has promised to phase out ground beef with the filler.[65]

Wal-Mart and its subsidiary Sam's Club announced they will soon offer pink slime-free ground beef as an option but will continue to also sell meat containing the filler.[65]

The pink slime stories were reported to have led to increased business in small neighborhood markets, as customers "don't want to eat 'lean finely textured beef.'"[67]

Iowa's Hy-Vee markets originally announced that they planned to phase out products containing LFTB, but reversed their decision after pressure from Iowa state Governor Terry Branstad.[68] This was described by the Omaha World-Herald as BPI's "first victory" in the pink slime affair, which a Branstad spokesman claimed was a "smear campaign."[68] Nevertheless, it was reported that some people find the product "unappetizing" as it is a "lesser product" that is not disclosed.[68]

Restaurants

McDonald's,[69] Burger King and Taco Bell announced they would discontinue the use of BPI products in their food.[70]

Wendy's ran full-page advertisements in eight major newspapers (including The New York Times, USA Today, and the Los Angeles Times), stating that it has never used pink slime. A Wendy's spokesperson told Reuters news agency, "We have never used lean finely textured beef (pink slime) because it doesn't meet our high quality standards."[71][54]

Five Guys confirmed that "We do not have pink slime in our ground beef. We use 80/20 ground chuck. Our manufactures [sic] do not use ammoniated procedures."[72]

Red Robin stated that it has "never purchased or served beef containing the so-called 'pink slime.'"[45]

Public schools

After parents and consumer advocates insisted pink slime be removed from public schools, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicated that it would give school districts the option of choosing between ground beef with or without the additive.[10][73][74] The USDA stated in March 2012 that beginning in fall 2012, the U.S. National School Lunch Program will allow school districts to decide whether or not to purchase ground beef containing pink slime.[75] On March 22, 2012, 41 Democrats in Congress, led by Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, wrote a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, writing that "creating a two-tiered school lunch program where kids in less affluent communities get served this low-grade slurry is wrong" and urging the elimination of pink slime from all public-school lunches.[76][77]

Representative Chellie Pingree, who led a group of 41 Congressional Democrats who urged Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to remove "this low-grade slurry" from public-school lunches.

Following the USDA announcement, many school districts have stated they will opt-out of serving ground beef with the filler.[75][78] The Miami-Dade County Public Schools district, one of the nation's largest, stated that it would choose pink-slime-free beef despite some expected increase in cost, as did state officials in South Carolina.[79] The New York City Department of Education announced plans to phase out pink slime (following a letter from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer urging the department to do so[80]), while the Boston Public Schools district "decided to hold and isolate its entire inventory of ground beef" in a warehouse "until the district knows more about what is in it."[79]

In the Washington, D.C. area, school officials in the District of Columbia, Arlington County, Alexandria, and Prince George's County stated that none of their beef suppliers currently uses pink-slime beef, while the school districts in Montgomery and Fairfax canceled their existing meat orders and stated that they planned to be pink slime-free by the next school year.[81] The Anchorage School District announced plans to opt-out of purchasing beef containing the additive.[82]

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture announced it would only buy beef without the ammonia-treated filler. Additionally, schools were given the option to cancel pink slime-containing beef orders for the remainder of the year, although they would not receive subsides on those orders.[83]

The Los Angeles Unified School District said in a statement that "We use 100% all-natural ground beef with no fillers, additives or soy isolates including mechanically separated parts of beef." The San Francisco Unified School District also stated that their beef suppliers do not use pink slime.[76]

While some school districts have their own suppliers, many school districts purchase beef directly from the USDA and so have no way to know what is in the beef.[76] It was reported that for the year 2012, the USDA has planned on purchasing 7 million pounds of lean beef trimmings for the U.S. national school lunch program.[7] USDA spokesman Mike Jarvis stated that of the 117 million pounds of beef ordered nationally for the school lunch program last year, 6 percent was LFTB.[76] An analysis of California Department of Education data obtained by California Watch indicated that "anywhere from none to nearly 3 million pounds of beef from the USDA that was served in California schools last year could have been lean finely textured beef."[76]

According to the USDA, the cost differential between ground beef with and without the additive is around 3 percent.[76]

Secretary Vilsack

Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, urged Vilsack to remove "pink slime" from school lunches and replace it with "high-quality Montana beef." Tester stated that he planned to include provisions in the upcoming farm bill that would allow schools more flexibility in using USDA commodity dollars, so they can buy locally-grown and produced food.[84]

Effect on production

In March 2012 BPI suspended production at three of its four plants. The company announced that it was in "crisis planning" and production of LFTB was halved.[10]

On April 2, 2012, another producer, AFA Foods, a ground-beef processor owned by Yucaipa Companies, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing "ongoing media attention" that has "dramatically reduced the demand for all ground beef products."[85][86]

Mass media

Jamie Oliver

An episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, aired on April 12, 2011, depicted Jamie Oliver decrying the use of pink slime in the food supply and in school lunches.[87] In the episode, Oliver douses beef trimmings in liquid ammonia while explaining what the product is and why he is disgusted with it.[87] Oliver has stated, "Everyone who is told about pink slime doesn't like it in their food—school kids, soldiers, senior citizens all hate it."[88] The American Meat Institute and Beef Products retorted with a YouTube video featuring Dr. Gary Acuff of Texas A&M University questioning some of Oliver's statements and promoting the additive.[25][89]

A March 7, 2012, ABC News investigative report on the product said 70% of ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets contained pink slime at that time, and that the USDA considered it meat.[12] The report precipitated a widespread consumer backlash against the additive. Numerous supermarket chains discontinued sale of products incorporating the filler following the backlash.[90]

Jon Stewart, a comedian, described the product as "ammonia-soaked centrifuge-separated byproduct paste" on his program, The Daily Show, and showed an animation of the production process.[91]

An Associated Press review of the taste of pink slime-containing hamburgers as compared to traditional or "real" hamburgers described the filler-containing burgers as smelling the same, but being less juicy and highly mealy with bits and studs of cartilage-like matter.[92]

See also

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References

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  66. ^ Evans, Lauern (March 23, 2012). "RSS Text Size Print Share This Home / news / local / Giant Eagle Rejects 'Pink Slime' Grade Of Beef". nbci1.com. Retrieved 31-02-2012. "...While Boneless Lean Beef Trim (BLBT) is USDA and FDA approved and has been considered safe and nutritious for more than 20 years, recent media attention on BLBT has prompted questions, confusion, and a decline in consumer confidence in the product. After careful review of feedback from our customers, Giant Eagle has decided that effective immediately the companies will no longer source fresh ground beef containing BLBT." {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  67. ^ a b c Concord Monitor. April 1, 2012 Customers flee from 'pink slime' http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/320893/customers-flee-from-pink-slime Customers flee from 'pink slime'. Retrieved March 31, 2012. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |author-= ignored (help)
  68. ^ a b c Ross Boettcher (April 1, 2012). "Hy-Vee reverses stance on 'pink slime'". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
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  77. ^ Letter from 41 Congressional Democrats to Secretary Vilsack (March 22, 2012).
  78. ^ Some schools planning to drop 'pink slime' meat (March 15, 2012). Associated Press.
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  81. ^ Michael Alison Chandler (March 30, 2012). "Washington region schools taking 'pink slime' off the menu". Washington Post.
  82. ^ Heather Hintze, School District Moves to Get Pink Slime Off Its Menus (March 24, 2012). KTVA-11.
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  90. ^ Muskal, Michael (March 21, 2012). "Another major supermarket chain drops 'pink slime'". Los Angeles Times.
  91. ^ "Video: Jon Stewart Takes On 'Pink Slime,' AKA 'Bovine Velvet'".
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External images
image icon Pink slime kibble
image icon Giant rolls of pink slime being flash frozen
image icon A frozen brick of pink slime, the finished product
image icon Cutting one of those bricks
image icon An image of pink slime used by the meat industry association
External videos
video icon (March 26, 2012). 'Pink Slime' Manufacturer Suspends Operations. ABC News.

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