yumm..pink slime! Do you know what you are eating?

Today I had an interview with Local 15 news about the latest food scare, "pink slime." You heard of it? If not, let's talk! The United states department of agriculture's' (USDA) soul purpose of existing is to keep us save. They write the food laws and deem food acceptable or unacceptable. In recent media, extreme food activists have taken it upon themselves to deem our beef unfit, labeling it "pink slime." What they are referring to is "lean finely textured beef," which is used in beef as a meat filler. The process used to make this filler is called mechanically deboning. Basically, after all of the cuts have been made from the cow the left overs are then taken spun around to remove the fat and soaked in ammonia to kill of E. Coli and salmonella, then added to ground beef. Left overs= muscle, tendons and small cuts of beef. According to some we have been consuming this since the late 70's when consumers demanded a more affordable meat. The big debate started after the USDA purchased the filler for the Nation School Lunch Program. This did not go over well with some parents.
Nutritionally speaking, red meat should be consumed in moderation anyway. This meat filler actually makes the ground beef a tad bit leaner. Yes, having your meat soaked in ammonia is a little scary to think about, but would you rather contract E Coli or salmonellae?? How would you propose we kill off deadly bacteria? As a result of this "food crisis", many people lost their jobs when production companies were shut down and now our beef prices will rise.
It's unnecessary fear, if you ask me. Once you get over the icky factor it's fine. Hey, are we not trying to eat like cavemen anyway? They never wasted anything off an animal =)
The issue for me is proper labeling laws. By law, production companies do not have to label the filler. We DO need to know what we are ingestion so WE can be the ones who decide what we put in our bodies. The USDA has taken action and is now allowing some production companies to list the "lean finely textured beef" on their products. How they will word it is still under debate. The national school lunch program has the option to opt out of buying it. According to a credible resource with the Alabama school district, Alabama schools will be "pink slime" free.

Bottom line: eat less red meat, eat more fruits, veggies and whole grains and get off your butt and move!

PLEASE, let me know your thoughts!!! Leave a comment!!

Keep reading as I continue my mission: Healthy Huggins!

Resources used in this blog post:

http://maureenogle.com/2012/03/28/want-a-little-history-with-that-pink-slime/

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/pinkslime-ammonia-ground-beef.htm

http://beefisbeef.com/2012/03/23/statement-from-beef-products-inc-founder-eldon-roth/