“Pink Slime” are trimmings that come from the parts of a cow most susceptible to contamination due to exposure to fecal matter, and was not considered fit for human consumption years ago. Unfortunately the U.S. food industry found a solution that involved “treating” these trimmings with ammonia gas to kill germs. Despite consumer concerns, the United States Department of Agriculture refused to stop this practice or at least make companies identify this process on food labels until a recent uproar due to ABC news coverage and this online petition.
The uproar concerned the use of pink slime in school lunches, which is a major problem, but it’s an issue that affects everybody. One of my favorite recipes is ragu sauce with ground beef. Luckily I’ve been choosing the organic ground beef and this confirms organic is the safer way to go. Still, according to the ABC news video I saw, while organic is probably safe, the safest option is watching the butcher grind the beef for you. The good thing is that major retailers are finally beginning to act in response to consumer demands.
So far, the following have agreed to stop carrying products with pink slime:
- Safeway
- SUPERVALU, which operates Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy
- Food Lion
- Walmart
- Sam’s Club
Pink slime is NOT in ground turkey or chicken, so I may start using that for my meat sauces and hamburgers. Those are healthier options anyway! Pink slime is also in some processed meats.
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