I'm sure by now you have heard about something in meat called "Pink Slime" (which is in 70% of the ground beef sold at most supermarkets). But what exactly is it? BLBT (Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings) is a cheap meat filler and "recovers lean meat that otherwise would be wasted," according to the President of the American Meat Institue, J. Patrick Boyle.
Beef that contains pink slime is USDA approved and is considered nutritious. However, some say the meat (which is highly exposed to fecal matter) looks more like Play-Doh and comes from the parts of a cow that are most vulnerable to disease. Before Beef Products Inc. found a way to use their low-quality beef trimmings, by cleaning the "meat" with ammonia, it was only sold to dog food or cooking oil suppliers. BPI calls their finished product "Finely Textured Lean Beef"; it's not as healthy as ground beef (mostly muscle meat) since the protein comes mostly from connective tissue.
“All beef is a good or excellent source of 10 essential nutrients, including protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins,” H. Russell Cross, head of the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, said in a statement to ABC News. ”Finely textured lean beef helps us meet consumer demand for safe, affordable and nutritious food.”
So if this pink slime isn't a big deal, why all of the fuss now? BLBT was mentioned and referred to as "pink slime" by famous chef Jamie Oliver on an episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Last month, McDonald's said that they will no longer sell burgers that contain pink slime. Burger King and Taco Bell have also put a stop to the use of BLBT in their food. The UK has a ban on the human consumption of boneless lean beef trimmings; it's only suitable for their dog and chicken food.
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a statement to ABC News saying that starting this Fall, schools will be able to decide whether or not they buy hamburgers that contains BLBT or "pink slime". "ABC News traveled across the country to the meat section of grocery
stores to see if it's in the ground beef they sell. At most stores it
was impossible to tell for sure whether the beef contained the filler.
At one store there was no way to tell from the labels, and the butchers
did not know the answer. There is only one way to know for certain that "pink slime" is not in
your beef: If your meat is stamped USDA Organic, it's pure meat with no
filler. Otherwise, you can't know from the packaging because "pink slime" does
not have to appear on the label. And the USDA is giving no indication it
will force meat packers to lift the veil of secrecy any time soon." (borrowed from Yahoo News).
What Does Sarah Say?
I have bought into the hype hook, line, and sinker. I will not be buying ANY meat (no matter from what animal) from stores that might sell ground beef with pink slime. I think it's pretty awful that the US isn't doing more to protect us. If the UK doesn't use the stuff and if most food chains are turning their backs on BLBT suppliers, why don't we ban it? I'd have a fit if my school served this low-quality meat to my children (considering the ridiculous annual fees I've had to pay for a public school), but how would we know? I think now is the time for parents to start contacting their local schools and demand they keep this junk as far away from campus as possible. Some children will go to a house with no food to eat; they shouldn't be given cheap fillers while they're at school.
Where Will Sarah Find Her Meat Now?Publix, Costco, HEB, Whole Foods, and Kroger have all stated that they do not sell any meats containing "pink slime". If your meat is labeled "Certified USDA Organic" it can not contain ANY fillers (so no BLBT).
Why Should I Care?
Maybe you shouldn't. Who knows. But with the rise of diseases like Chron's and Ulcerative Colitis on the rise, it makes you wonder how much of a role food plays in your life.
-Sarah
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