Pink slime facts for kids
Pink slime, also known as lean finely textured beef (LFTB), is a special meat product. It's made from small pieces of beef left over after larger cuts are made. This product is sometimes added to ground beef or other processed meats. It can help reduce the fat content or act as a filler.
To make LFTB, beef trimmings are heated. Then, machines called centrifuges spin very fast to separate the fat from the meat. The lean meat that's left is then treated with ammonia gas or citric acid. This step helps to kill harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.
In the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved LFTB for human consumption in 2001. However, in places like the European Union and Canada, the product made with ammonia gas is not allowed for people to eat.
In 2012, a TV news report from ABC News talked a lot about "pink slime." The report suggested that a large amount of ground beef in US supermarkets contained this additive. After these reports, some companies stopped using LFTB in their products. There was also a big lawsuit between the main producer of LFTB, Beef Products, Inc. (BPI), and ABC News. They settled the lawsuit in 2017.
In December 2018, the USDA reclassified lean finely textured beef as "ground beef." This means it can now be labeled simply as ground beef.
Contents
How is Pink Slime Made?
Lean finely textured beef is made from small pieces of meat that are scraped or pressed from beef bones. These trimmings are heated to about 107–109 degrees Fahrenheit (42–43 degrees Celsius). This melts the fat.
Separating Fat and Freezing
A centrifuge then spins the mixture very quickly. This force separates the melted fat from the lean meat. The remaining lean meat is then quickly frozen to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (about -9 degrees Celsius) in a special roller press freezer. This freezer was invented in 1971.
Treating for Safety
After freezing, the meat is pushed through thin tubes. During this process, it's treated to kill bacteria. Some companies, like Beef Products, Inc. (BPI), use gaseous ammonia. The ammonia reacts with water in the meat to create ammonium hydroxide. This makes the meat more alkaline (increases its pH), which harms tiny organisms. The freezing process also creates ice crystals that damage bacteria.
Other companies, like Cargill Meat Solutions, use citric acid instead of ammonia to kill bacteria. Citric acid is found naturally in fruits like lemons.
The treated meat is then finely ground, pressed into blocks, and flash-frozen again. It's then shipped to be used as an additive in ground beef.
What's in it?
Most LFTB is made by companies like BPI, Cargill, and Tyson Foods. In 2012, about 70% of ground beef sold in US supermarkets contained LFTB. It was also used in hot dogs.
According to BPI, their finished product is 94% to 97% lean beef. This means it has only 3% to 6% fat. It has a similar nutritional value to 90% lean ground beef. It's high in protein and contains important nutrients like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. In the U.S., ground beef can contain up to 15% LFTB and still be labeled as "ground beef."
Some experts have had different opinions on LFTB. In 2002, a USDA microbiologist (a scientist who studies tiny living things) said that LFTB contained connective tissue and was not nutritionally the same as regular ground beef. However, BPI stated that their product does not contain cow intestines or connective tissue like tendons.
Why was Pink Slime Controversial?
Early Concerns
In 1990, the USDA approved the technology to make finely textured meat. At first, the USDA called the product "meat." However, one USDA microbiologist disagreed, saying it contained both muscle and connective tissue.
In 1994, to address worries about E. coli bacteria in beef, BPI's founder, Eldon Roth, developed a system to clean meat using ammonia gas and quick freezing.
In 2001, the USDA approved this cleaning system. They also approved the cleaned product to be added to food for people. The USDA agreed with BPI that ammonia was a "processing agent" and didn't need to be listed on food labels. Some USDA microbiologists, Carl Custer and Gerald Zirnstein, argued against this. They said the product was "salvage" and not "meat," and that its safety should be checked independently. They were overruled.
The term "pink slime" was first used in 2002 by Gerald Zirnstein in an internal USDA email. He was concerned that ammonia should be mentioned on labels. He also felt that adding LFTB to ground beef was like "fraudulent labeling" because he didn't consider it true ground beef.
In 2009, a newspaper article in The New York Times questioned the safety of LFTB. This article was one of the first times the term "pink slime" was used publicly in a negative way.
In 2011, a TV show called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution featured chef Jamie Oliver criticizing the use of "pink slime" in food, especially in school lunches. He showed how beef trimmings were treated with ammonia and expressed his disgust.
The ABC News Report
In March 2012, ABC News aired a series of reports that brought a lot of public attention to "pink slime." They described it as "scrap meat pieces compressed together and treated with an antibacterial agent." Many people found the idea unappetizing.
At that time, it was reported that about 70% of ground beef in US supermarkets contained LFTB. The USDA stated that LFTB was safe and had been used in food for a long time. They said adding LFTB to ground beef did not make it less safe.
Pink Slime in School Lunches
Public concern grew, partly due to an online petition asking to ban "pink slime" from school lunches. Because of this, the USDA decided that starting in fall 2012, school districts could choose to buy ground beef with or without LFTB.
The Lawsuit
On September 13, 2012, BPI filed a large lawsuit against ABC News and some of its reporters. BPI claimed that ABC News made many "false, misleading and defamatory statements" and ran a "disinformation campaign" against LFTB.
ABC News denied these claims. The trial began in June 2017. After three weeks, ABC and BPI reached a settlement, meaning they agreed to an amount of money to end the lawsuit. The exact amount was not fully disclosed, but reports suggested it was at least $177 million.
Where is it Used Now?
After the widespread media coverage in March 2012, the amount of LFTB used in ground beef in the U.S. dropped significantly. In March 2012, it was in 70% of ground beef, but by March 2013, it was estimated to be in only about 5%. Some major grocery chains stopped using it.
However, as beef prices rose in 2014, the use of finely textured beef started to increase again. Companies looked for cheaper meat trimmings to include in hamburger meat. BPI regained many customers, mostly processors and patty-makers who sell to stores and the USDA.
In December 2018, the USDA reclassified lean finely textured beef as "ground beef." This means that if it meets certain new production standards, it can now be labeled simply as "ground beef."
Rules and Regulations
Rules about LFTB are different in various countries.
In the United States
In the U.S., LFTB is not sold directly to consumers. It can make up to 15% of ground beef without needing a special label. It can also be added to other processed meat products. The use of ammonia as a cleaning agent is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA considers it "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) and it's used in many other food products.
In Canada
Because ammonia is used in its processing, LFTB made by BPI is not allowed in Canada. Health Canada states that ammonia cannot be used in ground beef or meats during their production. However, Canada does allow finely textured meat made with citric acid (like Cargill's product) to be used in ground meat and labeled as such, under certain rules.
In the European Union
Lean finely textured beef and finely textured meat are completely banned for human consumption in the European Union (EU).
Public Perception
The way LFTB is made and processed led to worries that it might be a health risk. However, there have been no reported cases of foodborne illness linked to eating LFTB. Media reports greatly reduced how much people accepted it as an additive in ground beef.
A survey in April 2012 found that most US adults knew about "pink slime." Of those who knew, many were concerned. More than half of those aware of pink slime took action, like researching the ground beef they bought or eating less ground beef.
Legislation
Some groups wanted "pink slime" to be removed from food or to have mandatory labels on beef that contained it. A spokesperson for BPI argued that no extra labeling was needed because it was "100 percent beef."
Other consumer groups were upset by the strong public reaction against the product. They were concerned about plant closures that happened because of what they called "serious misinformation" spread by the media. They also worried that LFTB might be replaced by something less safe. Some U.S. consumers were concerned that ground beef containing LFTB wasn't labeled, making it hard for them to choose what to buy. Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey asked the USDA to create mandatory labeling rules for ground beef.
Images for kids
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Lean finely textured beef in its finished form, from an ABC News report about the product
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Ground beef that does not contain the LFTB additive, from a USDA image of a beef-grinding operation.
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Former Iowa governor Terry Branstad, a supporter of the product's use in beef products
See also
In Spanish: Baba rosa para niños
