Just What IS “Pink Slime”?

Boneless lean beef trimmings refers to an industrial product created from beef  trimmings using particular processes; these products are occasionally referred to using the new term pink slime. The process involves taking USDA-approved beef trimmings, separating the fat and meat with centrifuges, then squeezing the lean beef through a tube the size of a pencil, during which time it is exposed to ammonia gas. The combination of the gas with water in the meat results in a reaction that increases the pH (lowering acidity) and killing any pathogens such as E.coli and Salmonella.   At the end of the process, the beef is at least 90 percent lean. It is used in meat supplies across the US.

Earlier this year an  ABC News investigative report pointed out that the USDA has received but hidden information indicating that 70 percent of ground beef contains the substance.   The USDA has allowed the substance to go unlabeled at the objection of its own scientists.   It has been suggested that most beef patties containing pink slime are about a quarter of the substance!

McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell have announced that they would discontinue using the product in their foods, but other fast food chains are still using it.