So… I’ve been thinking and reading more about this pink slime (or lean finely textured beef) nuttiness. It’s fascinating that a manufacturing process that has been in use for years and years has been brought so low in a matter of a mere couple of weeks. I’d rather expected that the outcry would lead to a requirement that beef containing LFTB be labeled, not that stores would stop carrying it altogether. Labeling makes total sense to me, just like we label lunch meats as nitrite/nitrate free — then, we as consumers are free to make the choice about what to purchase for our own families.
Some random observations
Retailer decisions to discontinue pink slime do have ramifications
Jobs will be lost
The Wall Street Journal reports that three plants that produced LFTB have halted production, and 650 people are temporarily out of work. If production doesn’t come back, which it seems unlikely to, where do those jobs go?
More cows
Attempts to reach representatives of Beef Products Inc. for comment were unsuccessful, but [Cargill spokesman] Martin said the loss of the lean finely textured beef market will have serious repercussions.
“We’ll likely have to raise an additional 1.5 million head of cattle to make up for the loss,” Martin said.
The Wall Street Journal says:
Industry experts estimate that about 850 million pounds of the additive are used in ground beef annually—meaning processors will have to secure other cuts of meat to replace the filler. That is equivalent to 1.5 million head of cattle a year, introducing new demand into a market where supplies are at historic lows because of a drought in the southern Great Plains.
I’m thinking that means: Higher prices.
All of these may indeed be consequences we are willing to bear — but we need to be aware that it’s not as easy as just saying “get this stuff out of our meat.”
The “no” list doesn’t really mean no
Not all LFTB is processed with ammonium hydroxide. “While South Dakota’s Beef Products Inc. holds a patent for the treatment of lean finely textured beef with ammonium hydroxide, other ground beef suppliers such as Cargill and ConAgra treat the scraps with citric acid to kill pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella. ” (From The Daily)
Read retailers’ statements with a finely textured eye
Target, for example, is quoted in multiple recent articles: “”Our ground beef vendors do not use an ammonium hydroxide treatment in their production processes. Any additional questions can be directed to vendors.” Welllll… Target’s ground beef comes from Cargill, and Cargill treats their LFTB with citric acid, not ammonium hydroxide. So, yes, it’s true: Their vendors don’t use ammonium hydroxide — but that doesn’t really mean that their ground beef doesn’t contain LFTB.
I contacted Target for clarification, and they said: “Target places great emphasis on sourcing food from industry leaders in safety and quality. Currently, the ground beef sold in Target does not involve an ammonium hydroxide treatment that has recently become associated with the term “pink slime.” Additionally, Target is working with vendors to remove finely textured beef in the production of all ground beef items offered at Target going forward. Any additional questions can be directed to vendors.”
Well, hey, they wouldn’t have to work with vendors to remove finely textured beef if they didn’t have finely textured beef — so they shouldn’t really be showing up on the “no” lists yet.
How stores reacted was more important than the fact that they were selling these products
Since about everyone turned out to have this in the ground beef they were selling, people were more outraged over stores’ reactions to the questions and uproar than anything. Reading retailers’ Facebook pages and their differing responses to consumers’ repeated questions was fairly enlightening.
Speaking of which, don’t you get paid by Zaycon?
Since all this came out, I’ve received a couple of comments from readers implying I was somehow softer on Zaycon Foods than other ground beef retailers because “bloggers get paid” by them. Here’s the deal — I did receive (and specifically disclose I received) chicken to review from Zaycon. I do receive $1.00 referral credit if you sign up under my link and then buy something from Zaycon — when you sign up for Zaycon, you’re told the same thing yourself if someone signs up under you.
But if you read here regularly, you know I’m up front and honest about my opinions of products, whether I went out and bought them or received them for review. While I really liked the chicken, and said so, I’m also disappointed in the way Zaycon handled this, and said so. And I’ll say it again: Bad move, Zaycon, especially since your whole schtick is that you’re fresher and additive free. And pulling comments off your Facebook page? Sheer bad form.
Speaking of which, are you going to eat all that hamburger you bought?
We still have 36 of the 40 lbs of hamburger I purchased from Zaycon Foods recently. And, yes we are. We’ve already been eating the stuff for what, two decades now? So I think this batch is unlikely to push us over the edge. Would I buy it going forward? I’m not sure I would — but it looks like that’s a moot point, as everywhere I shop is phasing it out (including Zaycon, lol).
OK, we don’t like pink slime — Have you looked at the other things you eat?
Have your kids eaten frozen chicken nuggets at any point? Look up mechanically separated chicken sometime. You know the pictures you’ve been seeing all over on the pink slime posts and some articles, the ones that look like pink soft serve ice cream? Yeah, that’s chicken, not beef. But that’s required to be disclosed on the label, where LFTB hasn’t been.
Now look up hot dogs… genetically modified organisms… bologna… HFCS… take your pick. Pink slime is gross, but so are a lot of other things we eat. Pink slime got the catchy name and got the media attention and triggered the recent groundswell of public opinion and social media storm, but this hardly means that we’re all good on what’s in our food now that most places are phasing it out.
See, I told you it was random
… and rambling!
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A G R E E D. This reminds me of when it came out that Johnson’s baby shampoo had a formaldehyde-like chemical in it – everyone jumped on the bandwagon to boycott and I was like, “Yeah OK, well everything I use has chemicals in it so who cares?” It’s nice that this has come out so that people learn and have the info but like you said, let people make their own choices unless it is proven to be harmful which it clearly isn’t. We’ll see where all this goes….
I agree, however, I do think we can make better choices. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. My family eats organic meat, milk, and some produce. Unfortunately, healthy food is hard to afford. I think it’s commendable that you have been so informative on this subject. We should know what we’re eating! Thanks!
I really like the way you wrote and addressed this issue. I don’t buy ground beef but if I did I would expect that it should just be spelled out on the label. As consumers we should be given the ingredients in all our products, including what chemicals are used to process or preserve our foods. Although, I would really need to get better educated on what those chemicals are and how they affect my family. Also, I truly hope that those folks laid off in this situation get their jobs back but maybe just processing something besides “pink slime”. Thanks again for the great article!
Why can’t ground beef be…’just that’? Ground Beef! Ah, the good ‘ol days of being from a ‘farm town’ and going to the locker plant and getting your beef and having them grind it right there.
If organic ground beef is too expensive, and you want to be sure…buy Kosher. Honestly, Kosher meats have their rules too and you can’t have fillers in them (why do Kosher hot dogs taste so extra yummy?). Remember the Hebrew National commercials in the 70s and 80s? We’re Kosher, and have to answer to an even Higher Authority?
My husband works in the food industry and according to the trade publication he gets everyday, the proportion of pink slime that is sold to the public via the grocery store is minimal.
Nobody is talking about the pink slime used in the manufacturing process of other products containing ground beef.
Either way, we agree. Sometimes (or most of the time?) the public behaves like sheep and we exercise a lot of tunnel vision.
I’m hoping that perhaps this will be the impetus towards improving our food overall. There are so many things wrong with the supply that are likely contributing to the terribly high rate of diseases in this country. But we either eat what’s in the stores or grow our own. My family can’t afford to buy organic everything (if organic even had a real meaning). The first step will definitely be getting companies to label the food.
Great article, Rachel.
I’m not one to get too upset about this stuff – I know that there are things in my food that shouldn’t be, but I have other things to worry about much of the time. That being said, I am seriously considering increasing my meat budget to buy local beef. I’m lucky in that a farm about 10 miles from me sells beef in cuts, not just whole cows. There is also a meat locker in town where I can have it ground. Just another option for getting “safer” meat.
Very well written, Rachel, especially your points at the end. I’ve found this whole issue to be a little bit blown out of proportion, especially when you consider the amount of processed foods that are sitting in most of our cupboards right now. I hope that this issue will get people to really think about what they are eating and about what price they put on their health. I saw this child nutritional speaker on Anderson yesterday who said “we either pay more for nutritious food now or we pay it to the hospital later” – a lot of wisdom from a “12ish” year old.
I agree. I saw an commercial that ellen showed on her show that was aired in i think new york, that showed someone drinking a can of pop and was pouring corn syrup (or a combination of corn sryup and other stuff) out of the can and into their mouth. With all the people that drink pop, I’m sure there would be some outrange in “seeing” what’s actually in the stuff we drink……
I agree with this, too. Think about putting 11 tsp of sugar in a glass of water and drinking it. Disgusting. Plus, there’s BPA coming out of the can lining and high acidity. On average, Americans drinks two cans of pop a day, and we wonder why we have so many health issues? I drink some pop, so I’m not trying to pass judgment on anyone, but really, I think sometimes we’re so focused on convenience and value that we don’t think about food as we should.
I think the moral of the story is that every person needs to be more aware and responsible for what they buy and eat. Pink slime is gross, but we don’t eat a lot of beef. Every food purchase I make is based on a calculation of true VALUE – factoring not just price and volume but also freshness, wholesomeness, and proximity to the food’s natural state. Sometimes I buy the processed stuff because it’s a good value, but more often than not I don’t. Part of my job as Mom is to raise my two children to recognize, eat, and savor REAL food. An occasional burger with additives won’t kill them, but it’s definitely a rare menu item in our house.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments on the issue!
you go girl!
Rachel,
Thank you so much for these ramblings! I’ve wondered if anyone else was realizing that in forcing out pink slime, we’re agreeing to higher prices. I’m all for offering my family the healthiest foods that I can, but unfortunately eating healthy is increasingly becoming more expensive (which is why I coupon and read your blog). I agree that the best thing we can do is to have things labeled rather than just taken off the shelf, that truly gives power to the consumer. I could go on, but I’ll end just by saying thanks for posting a realistic middle ground point of view on “finely textured beef”!
Emily
We don’t eat chicken nuggets or bologna, and rarely hot dogs. I’ve cut seriously back on our cereal consumption, as a majority of that is made with GMO corn. I’ve also signed a few petitions to have it labeled in our food chain. And yes, I think GMO is a MUCH bigger issue than pink slime. Because that will screw up our entire ecosystem. I don’t use vegetable oils, but stick with olive oil, coconut oil and butter. We’re working on growing our own vegetables this year, to try and keep GMO and pesticides out of our home.
And yes, HFCS is also gross. I buy sodas that contain sugar (no rat poison for me thanks) and try to avoid HFCS in most of the products we buy. That’s why a majority of cookies are home made.
Also when me and the kids are involved, I try to avoid artificial dyes, which is another point of contention.
And one day, when my husband FINALLY gets the pay he deserves (or sooner if we can save for it), we’re going to buy a big freezer and buy half an organic cow and have it processed by a licensed, local butcher. And a sheep and a pig.
All in all, I’ve come to the point where I skip a LOT of coupons because they contain stuff we don’t eat in this household.
all i can say in light of all this… beef (lol)…. im glad im a vegetarian! altho my hubby eats (and my daughter eventually will eat) this stuff so thank you for keeping us updated. i completely agree with you.
I am also so thankful to be a vegetarian. My husband is not either but my kids are. It is amazing to me the affect this is having but maybe eating a little less meat is something more people should be thinking about.
I love all of your opinions! Well said! I’m vegetarian, as well as the previous poster, so i have no worries. But, i really loathe that the big companies are always trying to pull one over on us. It makes my blood boil! Not to mention the poor animals! What’s wrong with a country that thinks this behavior is acceptable?
I’m not an economics expert but honestly free market demand usually wins out. If enough people are demanding pink slime- free meat, someone will figure out a way to bring it to the market cheaper and better.
They always try to scare the public with doomsday stories of higher prices when they’re afraid of losing money. IMHO better health for all of us is worth a little effor. Let the beef mfrs. figure out how to produce the beef competitively, if one of them can’t – the next one will, and he’ll win the market advantage.
Thanks Rachel. I enjoy your ramblings. I just think that they should label the products truthfully. If it’s not harmful, why are they hiding the facts? Do we really know that it’s not harmful? If some stores don’t use it, why aren’t their prices significantly higher than the ones that do use it? I don’t think a lot of people give a care one way or another, and that’s fine for them, but I would like to know.
Please educate yourself at http://www.beefisbeef.com and http://www.beefproducts.com I want the choice as I want to purchase LFTB in my ground beef. The research I have done shows that this BPI LFTB doesn’t have E.Coli and has never made anyone sick out of the 300 Billion meals it’s been served in. I have 4 small children and do not want to risk them getting E.Coli. PLEASE OFFER THE CHOICE TO PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT!!!
Educating yourself at those websites is like asking the poultry industry to confirm the safety of the chickens and eggs that have been fed arsenic laden feed. Or the corn growers association to say that HFCS is the same as sugar.
Whilst I have no issues with pink slime being present in the food we eat, I think it should be something that has to be put on the ingredient list. Just like other additives have to be put on the ingredient list.
I am not sure what you want to have the label say “beef with beef”. The product is not pink slime. It is beef. There is so little ammonium hydroxide used (which is a food grade gas, not floor cleaner) there is more in cheese than the beef. 10,000 people ate LFTB burgers Saturday at a rally supporting Beef Products. No one objected, they were delicious. 5 Governors support Beef Products. The beef is safe.