Pink Slime

Sorry folks, this is not strawberry ice cream, but the pink slime 

So pink slime has been hitting the news recently.  For those of you not in the know pink slime is the amalgamation of boneless lean beef trimmings/similar products which have been passed through a centrifuge.  In order to kill off pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella, ammonium hydroxide is added. 

In recent weeks, some fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell have announced that they will no longer be using this pink slime in their products.  While this is definitely a win for consumers, this past week the pink slime has come back into national news.  There have been several reports (and petitions) circulating about this product being found in grocery stores and also in public school lunches.  In fact, the US government orders 7 million pounds a year for its school lunch program.

The first time that I learned about this phenomena was while watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  This product can account for up to 15% of the ground beef you buy in the store.  What was once a product only fed to chickens and dogs, is now showing up on a regular basis in hamburgers, chili, tacos, etc. all over the US.  Check out the clip on pink slime from the show.