The nation's second-largest supermarket chain has stopped selling what the meat industry calls “lean finely textured beef," more popularly known as “pink slime.” The substance, which is a low-cost filler made from fatty scraps of beef left over from cuts typically thrown away, is not allowed to be used in human food in the UK, and fast food chains such as McDonalds and Taco Bell have discontinued its use. But NYC schoolchildren are still getting slimed, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer wants it to stop.
At a press conference today, Stringer implored the Department of Eduction to announce specific steps toward the elimination of pink slime. “When New York City lags behind McDonalds and Taco Bell in their standards for food quality, you know something’s awry,” Stringer said. “The Department of Education must end this repellant practice now—and the first thing they can do is to pull it from the shelves today. I cannot think of a more important issue than the health of our 1.1 million public school students, and that’s why I’m calling on DOE to act today.”
To make pink slime, the meat scraps and fat—which were once used once used for dog food and cooking oil—are separated by extreme heat, pushed through a tub, and treated with ammonia hydroxide, which is used to kill bacteria such as E. Coli and salmonella. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration does not require that the substance be disclosed as an ingredient in nutritional information listings. Critics, including former USDA scientists, say the substance is less nutritious than pure ground beef, and one microbiologist tells ABC News, "It’s not fresh ground beef. It’s a cheap substitute being added in."
In a statement, Safeway said it's "committed to providing our customers with the highest-quality products. While the USDA and food industry experts agree that lean finely textured beef is safe and wholesome, recent news stories have caused considerable consumer concern about this product. Safeway will no longer purchase ground beef containing lean finely textured beef." And here's Stringer's letter to NYC Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott. Strong words!
