Without "Pink Slime" - Now What?
03/28/2012
Lean finely textured beef, also known as "pink slime," has made headlines around the world. From Jamie Oliver's YouTube video to stories from ABC News, you've probably heard several versions of the story by now. Many grocery stores have stopped selling ground beef that also contains lean finely textured beef. And schools can opt-out of receiving it, too.
Best Food Facts interviewed Dr. James Dickson, Iowa State University, about “pink slime” and its implications. Learn how lean finely textured beef is processed in Dr. Dickson's post, by clicking here.
Because of the public outcry about "pink slime," meat processing plants have closed, and jobs have been lost. But there are other factors to consider: Will our meat be safer? Will the price of ground beef go up? Will more cattle have to be slaughtered to make up the difference? What happens to all the lean finely textured beef that's on the market right now? Will lean finely textured beef go into other products?
Best Food Facts interviewed Dr. Jude Capper, Assistant Processor in the Department of Animal Sciences, Washington State University, and Dr. Jolena Waddell, Program Director of Meat Sciences and Lecturer, Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, about the consequences of lean finely textured beef leaving the U.S. food system.
Many grocery stores are pledging to stop selling ground beef that also contains lean finely textured beef. Will the price of beef go up because of this?
Dr. Waddell: "Lean, finely textured beef has gone through a process to remove lean pieces of muscle from mostly fat trimmings. Beef trimmings are what go into ground beef. As consumers demand higher percentage lean in their ground beef, it is necessary to remove some of the fat somehow. This allows for more efficiency and production from every carcass (getting every bit of lean muscle from each animal) and gives the consumer the percentage lean ground beef that they want.
"To continue to produce 90-95% lean ground beef without lean finely textured beef, we will likely have to import very lean beef carcasses from Australia and Brazil to mix with our fatter beef (or start growing some of our beef differently). This, in the presence of decreased American cattle numbers, will undoubtedly drive up the price of ground beef.
"Beef Products Inc., the company that makes lean finely textured beef, has closed three of their four plants this week, laying off more than 700 workers. Other companies, like Cargill, now must find a different market for their beef trim that used to go to Beef Products Inc. to become lean finely textured beef.
"In my mind, this is a step back in efficiency and sustainability in our food supply. In a time when we need to make more safe, economical food for the world, the media sensationalism and falsehoods that were spread have pushed the beef industry in the wrong direction."
Some school lunch programs are choosing ground beef that doesn’t contain lean finely textured beef. Because of this will school lunch prices go up?
Dr. Waddell: "It will likely either increase the cost of school lunches for those districts that choose products not containing lean finely textured beef, or cause schools to choose higher fat content ground beef that doesn’t require extra lean beef."
We have been told the food industry is focused on using as much of the animal as possible in an effort to not waste food, especially because of the need to feed a growing population. If we stop using lean finely textured beef, how much more beef will we have to process to keep up with demand?
Dr. Capper: "Lean finely textured beef adds 10-12 lb of lean nutritious beef to every animal processed. Each animal yields approximately 660 lb of boneless beef. That means that to produce the same amount of beef for human consumption we’d need to process an extra 1.5-1.9% more cattle each year – that’s between 516,000 and 654,000 extra cattle in the U.S. per year."
What about the environmental impact of having to raise more cattle to fill the void by not using lean finely textured beef?
Dr. Capper: "Raising more cattle in order to produce the same amount of beef increases the amount of land, energy and water needed for beef production, as well as the carbon emissions related to beef production."
Why is it important to use every part of the animal?
Dr. Capper: "In a society where our goal is to produce more food using fewer resources, it is essential that we make the best possible use of every animal product. There is considerable domestic demand for the cuts of beef preferred by the US consumer, and a significant proportion of less-popular cuts (e.g. organ meats) are exported to regions where there is high demand for them. Beef production is about more than meat. We also gain a number of by-products including leather, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, adhesives and many others. If we simply composted or incinerated the parts of the animal that we don’t eat in the U.S., it would be hugely wasteful."
What will happen to the lean finely textured beef products if no one wants them? Will it go into dog food or be thrown away?
Dr. Capper: "Lean finely textured beef products are a safe and nutritious form of beef. However, if consumer demand is such that it is removed from the human food supply, it would make absolute sense for it to be used in companion animal feed."
For more information about lean finely textured beef, read our post: The Truth About “Pink Slime”.
Update: Best Food Facts also received some information from Dr. Ron Lemenager, Beef Nutrition and Management, Purdue University, about lean finely textured beef.
Dr. Lemenager: “The reason for adding the lean finely textured beef to hamburger is to add lean content (less fat). Adding the ammonium hydroxide in the process of making this product is to make the product safe from bacterial contamination. There is absolutely no reason not to use this product in hamburger. While it may look a little funny to some folks in its raw state (hence the poor choice of terms – ‘pink slime’), it is a safe, lean, high-protein product.
“If we eliminate lean finely textured beef from our food system, it has been estimated that we will need an additional 1.5 million head of cattle to fill the void, and that hamburger price will increase 3 cents per pounds to 25 cents per pound. There is also the fact that the global population will increase to over nine billion people by 2050, so we will need to double food production. It has been estimated that 70 percent of that increase will have to come from technology.
“Lean finely textured beef results from technology to provide a safe, wholesome, highly nutritious product just by separating lean from fat in beef trim. The science is sound. This product has been used for over a decade without any food safety or health issues.”
Poll Question: What are your thoughts on "pink slime”?
Comments
Ginger - 05/09/2012
I hate the texture of hamburger with this additive. All I want is to be able to read the content on the label so I can choose hamburger that has a normal texture to me without having to buy it and cook it to find out. If they would have just labeled it from the start none of this fuss would be going on right now. But hiding the use of it makes it look like they have something to hide.
R.Fishback - 04/20/2012
I wish they would grow foods and feed animals the natural way. Being a nurse, I always wondered how much toxins are put in foods to make them safe. You want a plate of pink slime for dinner?
Wayne M. - 04/18/2012
How many people would eat orange roughy fish if it was marketed under its original name: slime head?
Nancy - 04/10/2012
Hey, Michael, I hate to break it to you, but those apples & others fruit you like...they are sanitized with a same/similar ammonia process as the one you dislike so much. Sorry to ruin your day.
Michael K - 04/05/2012
For all those out there who are happy to eat amonia laden meat, I have to say have at it. For me, I much prefer having the choice to avoid such an "additive" in my food and the food available to my children. I believe the efficiency benefit of reprocessing the last 1% of the meat into a highly processed meat product is more likely to have long term negative health consequences than we are likely to be able to find out. I don't have that much faith in some short term FDA testing which declared the process "Safe".
Darlene - 04/04/2012
Be careful not to educate yourself with bias by ONLY getting your information from one place (i.e. beefisbeef.com). There is a lot of information out there. If you don't agree with it, read it anyway. If you agree with it, keep reading. Truly become informed. Treating beef of any kind with Ammonia wouldn't be quite as necessary if cattle weren't raised so disgustingly. The way the industry grows beef makes it more susceptible to harmful bacteria. It's a never-ending circle. We need to examine the source of the meat, fix it, and see how much ammonia we really need.
Karen Sweet - 04/03/2012
Food processing technology is complex, too much so to describe and label on every product. While the consumer has a right to information, this episode illustrates how uninformed folks cannot critically analyze what they learn, especially when their only relationship to food is purchasing and consumption. We'll be utilizing more technology and science that won't be understood, appreciated or even realized. Food, after all is complex chemistry, which if thought about by many consumers would disturb them. Then we add a process like this one that uses "ammonia" and we wonder why the media sensationalizes it and the public responds with appall. Thanks for this page.
Keith - 04/02/2012
All of this problem could have been avoided if the company promoted the product on its own merits instead of trying to "sneak" it into ground beef. The consumer is always "right".
Best Food Facts - 03/30/2012
For more information on "pink slime," please check out our earlier post: http://www.bestfoodfacts.org/main/food_for_thought/0/111
Brenda Stark Lewis - 03/29/2012
I'm fine with everything being used, but why is Ammonia necessary?
Confused - 03/29/2012
If this is such a nutritious, safe and wonderful product (and proudction), why is it treated with ammonia? Safe, wonderful lean food doesn't need ammonia added to it before it makes it to our tables. And so much ammonia needed that it would smell awful (so awful that the producer had to start cutting back on how much they added, toying with the edge of safety because of human reactions to the food). Food shouldn't make you wretch. Looks to me like this is a shill site towing the industry line. The other side may have gone too far, but the repeated statements here that this stuff is wonderful are ridiculous to read. Talk to me about the ammonia and we'll see how edumacated you can get me.
sandy - 03/29/2012
Why haven't we heard any thing from the worker about what they see in the plants? How could one man "OLIVER" bring down the whole industry, with a general comment? Aren't we doomed if we don't get more healthy in all respects? I want food with food in it. Processed is really bad for us. I'll take my meat 100 % pure, no matter the cost. So they have 70/30 or 90/10 or 100% my choice, right?
Amel - 03/29/2012
Here is a good website about LFTB. wwwbeefisbeef.com
Don - 03/29/2012
I'm completely fine with it. I feel with adds to the safety of our ground beef and I am more then happy to eat it. I'm glad I did my research first and didn't listen the media's hype about nothing.
Virginia - 03/29/2012
People need to arm themselves with all the facts so they can make informed choices. Please visit www.beefisbeef and become an informed consumer.
Curtis Sales - 03/29/2012
It all is about making informed decisions. If everyone takes the time to learn the facts (beefisbeef.com) I have to believe that they would be on board with this product.
Joshua Hawkinson - 03/29/2012
I am proud to support a company that is efficient with what they are given. This process makes the most out of the cattle that are used to feed us so that nothing goes to waste. The end results is pure 100% lean ground beef that is healthy and nutritious.
Jon Froehlich - 03/29/2012
More information available at beefisbeef.com on this great product.
David - 03/29/2012
I find this all somewhat amusing. Humans have been eating "Pink Slime" for far longer than it has been hip to call it "Pink Slime". We were not going to waste food, until we had the luxury to do so. However, my amusement ends with the deliberate misinformation being touted about the evils of our food and the providers thereof. Mr. Oliver's video was a blatant lie in it's portrayal of how the product is produced (Really? A whole poultry carcass bones and all into a food processor? I showed my children and told them THAT is not hwo things are done). A very large smear campaign is being waged against our food production methods. Many of the backers, such as HSUS and associates of the Huffington Post, rely upon emotionally gripping headliners and slants in order to further agendas, largely without any scientific basis for their attacks. Price increases are part of the plan of attack. Personally, I hope this drops the price of the ground beef that has LFTB in it. Could use a little extra cash in hand.
Pat Berger - 03/29/2012
It's troubling to see how mis-information & special interest groups can distort the facts to the level they have regarding Lean Finely Textured Beef. The product has a proven track record of 20+ years, makes ground beef leaner, safer & less expensive and allows us to do more with less cattle. Not to mention the #1 supplier, BPI, has an unblemished record when it comes to the quality & safety of their product.
Tom Cother - 03/29/2012
I think if people had all the available information. They would make the right choices.
chris hedquist - 03/29/2012
If safer, cheaper, more lean (healthier) beef is an option, people will choose that over more expensive, less lean beef. Beef is Beef. I would rather not contract E-coli. Thank you beef industry for protecting the US citizens
Tiffany - 03/29/2012
Thank You Jamie. My husband works for the company that produces the Lean Finely Textured Beef. Please visit beefisbeef.com educate your self spread your knowledge to others. If more people knew the truth, the benefits of LFTB we could stop the ripple effects.
Jaime Cavitt - 03/28/2012
I'm appalled that our media is such a circus. I truly do not believe that they think about the consequences about the stories they "break." In a time that our economy needs to band together and people need jobs...now so many people are out of jobs and there's a good possibility that the prices of everything will go up thanks to the ignorance of the people who have begun this fiasco.