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*** IMPORTANT — THIS POST IS ONLY CURRENT AS of 3/15/12 — lots of stores have since changed policies; this is NOT CURRENT. ***
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Updated with some of your comments re: other Chicago-area stores.
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I previously posted a couple of these disgusting articles on Facebook — but not here, yet. But, I thought as more information becomes available on which stores do this and which stores don’t, you all might want to know. So, you might want to head over to ABC News and read:
- 70 Percent of Ground Beef in Supermarkets contains “Pink Slime.”
- Where You Can Get Pink Slime Free Beef.
Well, I’m now more pleased than ever with my recent Zaycon Foods purchase! 
<– Update on this some question now on whether theirs is free of this stuff, and I’m waiting on an official response.
Who has it, who doesn’t
Coupons, Deals, and More has compiled a handy store-by-store list of which stores’ ground beef contains this stuff and which stores’ doesn’t. In case you were wondering:
- Safeway (Dominick’s): Yes. In response to questions on Facebook, they said: “we offer our customers a choice of 100% USDA-approved ground beef products that do not contain Lean Finely Textured Beef. Both the 80% Lean Market Trim, which is ground fresh on site, and our Natural Ground Beef, which contains no antibiotics, added hormones or artificial ingredients and is minimally processed, are made without Lean Finely Textured Beef. We also sell traditional ground beef, which may include Lean Finely Textured Beef. Our ground beef products undergo rigorous inspections to ensure that they meet the highest standards for quality and food safety in the industry.”
- Jewel: Yes. However, on Facebook they said that pub burgers do not: “Hi Rachel – Thanks for asking! Our pub burgers are externally supplied. However, if you are interested in knowing whether or not they contain finely textured beef, we have been informed by the supplier that they do not contain finely textured beef. We hope this helps answer your question, and hope you have a great day!! Thanks for stopping by!” They also say that anything ground in store does not, but stuff from external suppliers may: “At Jewel-Osco, safety is our top priority and we follow all safety regulations governing our products, including ground beef. There have been no safety concerns regarding the use of finely textured beef as well. We do not add lean finely textured beef to products that are ground at our retail stores, but it is often used by our ground beef suppliers in their grinding operations. These products are approved and deemed safe by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Thanks for shopping at Albertsons and have a good day.”
- Pete’s Market (from Suzanne): “No, we do not put and LFTB in our meat. Lean, Finely textured beef is used as a preservative in packages meats. Considering we cut ground and package all our meats fresh everyday in our store we have no reason to use this product. All that goes into our packaged meats are natural ingratiates for flavor and such. This product might be common in stores that do not have an in house butcher and buy prepackaged meats from a distributor.”
- Sam’s Club/Walmart (from Suzanne): “Walmart is committed to providing our customers with safe and affordable food. We invest a lot of time and attention in making sure we have the best selection of products and that the foods we offer are safe. Walmart only sells …product from suppliers who comply with all government rules and regulations. Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) is widely used in ground beef products throughout the industry. LFTB is approved by the USDA and considered safe to use and we comply with all USDA standards with all our food. The ground beef we sell does contain LFTB.” Suzanne further comments: “FYI, Sam’s refund policy states that if you are not 100% satisfied they will refund your membership dues.”
- Woodmans (from Sam): “Thank you for the email and your support of Woodman’s. Woodman’s does NOT use “pink slime” or any type of filler in our fresh ground beef, or ground chuck, or ground sirloin. All of our ground beef’s are ground fresh everyday at the store using only quality beef. We grind our beef every morning for that day so customers always get fresh ground beef everyday of the week. This “pink slime” ground beef is what you typically see prepackaged at stores like Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee, where they aren’t grinding beef at their stores. It is produced at large meat plants in huge quantities and packaged in modified atmosphere packaging so it lasts longer, so it can be sent out to a distribution center then to their stores and can stay on the shelf for long periods of time without losing color.”
- Meijer (from Facebook): “There has been a lot of media attention lately on lean finely textured beef (which some media outlets have referred to as “Pink Slime.”) We want our customers to know that most types of fresh ground beef that Meijer sells do not have lean finely textured beef as an ingredient. We encourage customers who wish to avoid lean finely textured beef to ask a Meijer meat department associate for assistance.” Hilary comments: “Meijer both sells prepackaged ground beef and grinds their own. I was told that the ground beef that you buy at the meat counter (that they grind themselves) does not have pink slime. A lot of the stuff in the aisles are prepackaged by an outside company and may contain it. You can kinda tell if it’s been prepackaged if it has a rectangle shape (like it came out of a cookie cutter) vs. a blob. To be safe I would go and buy the ground beef from the meat counter as we have a more definitive answer on that!”
- Piggly Wiggly (from Su): “Hello and thank you for contacting us. We investigated this and concluded that our 85% or leaner ground beef along with our Certified Angus ground beef does not contain “pink slime”…this has been confirmed by our primary supplier. The 80% and 73% ground beef may or may not contain it depending on the packer and the facility it comes from. Going forward, we intend to only procure product that does not contain this. If I can help with any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me.”
Yeah, I know, you start reading any articles about what’s in our food and you may never eat again — but, really: Ew.
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I’m not so sure about what Jewel says……I don’t believe they buy those pub burgers pre ‘sliced’, but also when they were on sale and ran out someone had posted that they asked if they had more and the butcher grabbed one of those chubs and sliced it into pub burgers. Unless those chubs are pink slime free – which I doubt…..I think you might get a more honest answer from a butcher at the store.
BTW is Jewel still part of Albertson’s? They use pink slime….
Yes they are.
You know, I noticed when I bought the pre-packaged meat that it didn’t have much flavor. Now I know why.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I called Zaycon today about this very thing.
According to the woman I talked to they have had numerous inquires from their customers about this and have numerous emails in to National Beef, but as of yet they have not heard back from them. She assured me once they found out they would make it public on their website. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Hmm — they told me no — I’ll see if I can find anything more definitive, sheesh.
If you only talked to the first person who answered the phone that is the reply you got.
Me,” Are there any additives in you ground beef?’
Her, “Ah no, let me get my notes. ‘There are no added hormones to antibiotics.”
Me,” That’s not what I am asking. Hormones and antibiotics would not be considered additives.”
Her, “We get our beef from National beef, you can call them and ask.”
Me, “No, I bought this product from you, and if you don’t know you need to follow up with National Beef and find out.”
Her, “Hold on please.”
Lady #2, “Hi, can I help you?”
Me, “Yes I am a customer of yours and I want to know if there are any additives in your beef.”
L2, ” Are you asking about pink slime.”
Me, “Yes I am.”
L2, ” We have had numerous inquiries about this and we have contacted National Beef on numerous occasions but they have not gotten back to us yet.” JC the owner knows about this, as it was discussed in our meeting this morning.”
Me, ” I appreciate your honesty but tell me, when you get an answer from National Beef will you post the reply on your website?
L2, “Yes, we will.”
We talked about several other things before we hung up.
The question I did not ask was if this is a concern with numerous customers why do they continue to sell the product without an answer from National Beef? If National Beef was NOT using slime don’t you think they would have gotten back to Zaycon in a timely manner?
I do not think I will be buying any more beef from Zaycon. I am either going to Costco or buying direct from the farm.
Does anyone know if Woodman’s uses the pink slime in their beef? That’s where we got ground beef from last, and I am rather curious now.
I would love to hear about the outcome of the zaycon beef conversation. I have 40 lbs in my freezer and thought it was the highest quality to feed my family. If anyone gets a definitive answer from them, will it be posted here? Thanks everyone!
Jen
Wow, I have never been so glad that my Hubby is a hunter. He butchers the deer himself. I rarely have purchased ground beef in the last 10 years. I am still upset that I fed that to my kiddos by using the coupons for free hamburgers from McDonalds!
McDonald’s does NOT use pink slime – they made a public statement as soon as this came out.
SO FUNNY! I was totally thinking that, too. We have a freezer full of ground venison and that’s what we’ve been using for years. Do you make burgers from this meat, though? I make chili, meatloaf, stews and pasta sauce, but I’ve never made burgers.
Jen
We make venison burgers. Since venison is so lean, I need to add some fat so they aren’t hockey pucks. I either 1) make thin patties and fry them in leftover bacon grease or 2) Use finely chopped parcooked bacon when grilling thicker patties. HTH.
Did I miss Meijer in this conversation? Wondering. . . . I’m sure it’s yes, but have my fingers crossed because I don’t want to renew my Costco membership.
Someone asked on their Facebook page and they say this: “There has been a lot of media attention lately on lean finely textured beef (which some media outlets have referred to as “Pink Slime.”) We want our customers to know that most types of fresh ground beef that Meijer sells do not have lean finely textured beef as an ingredient. We encourage customers who wish to avoid lean finely textured beef to ask a Meijer meat department associate for assistance.”
https://www.facebook.com/meijer/posts/10150594184951636
What “most” means, I don’t know, but that’s all I know!
Always interesting to me that the answer isn’t a no, but, go ask the meat dept. at each diff. store?????????? Doesn’t corp. know what’s going on at a store level?
Meijer both sells prepackaged ground beef and grinds their own. I was told that the ground beef that you buy at the meat counter (that they grind themselves) does not have pink slime. A lot of the stuff in the aisles are prepackaged by an outside company and may contain it. You can kinda tell if it’s been prepackaged if it has a rectangle shape (like it came out of a cookie cutter) vs. a blob. To be safe I would go and buy the ground beef from the meat counter as we have a more definitive answer on that!
I can tell you that most of Meijers ground beef does not have Pink slime in it. I use to work for the company that made it.
is costco one that does not contain pink slime? if so i do have a membership but never use(i needed like 2 things there last summer) cause i get all my deals elsewhere. guess ill be buying my ground beef there instead.
Costco is on the coupons deals & more list as a “does not contain.”
What about IGA stores like Caputos?
Maybe we just assume that it does unless otherwise proven…like a LABEL! We like to do food challenges with friends and at work so next week we are all going vegetarian for the whole week, I am really looking forward to it, just wish pork wasn’t so tasty,……the whole idea bothers me, enjoy the soylent pink.
I contacted Woodman’s, and just heard back…they don’t use any pink slime in any of their beef products! Here’s their response!
Thank you for the email and your support of Woodman’s. Woodman’s does NOT use “pink slime” or any type of filler in our fresh ground beef, or ground chuck, or ground sirloin. All of our ground beef’s are ground fresh everyday at the store using only quality beef. We grind our beef every morning for that day so customers always get fresh ground beef everyday of the week.
This “pink slime” ground beef is what you typically see prepackaged at stores like Wal-Mart or Hy-Vee, where they aren’t grinding beef at their stores. It is produced at large meat plants in huge quantities and packaged in modified atmosphere packaging so it lasts longer, so it can be sent out to a distribution center then to their stores and can stay on the shelf for long periods of time without losing color.
Happy camper here!
I posted one on Sams club FB page and someone who had received a reply prior to mine received this response for Sams club/Walmart
WALMART’s response today ” Hi Corbin, – Walmart is committed to providing our customers with safe and affordable food. We invest a lot of time and attention in making sure we have the best selection of products and that the foods we offer are safe. Walmart only sells …product from suppliers who comply with all government rules and regulations. Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) is widely used in ground beef products throughout the industry. LFTB is approved by the USDA and considered safe to use and we comply with all USDA standards with all our food. The ground beef we sell does contain LFTB.” FYI, Sam’s refund policy states that if you are not 100% satisfied they will refund your membership dues
Here is a quote from National Beef’s website (the Zaycon distributor)for the 93/7 ground beef:
National Beef’s ground beef processing uses trimmings from our own fabrication facilities following the strict raw material age and temperature criteria. The plate size for our first grinder is 5/8″, followed by 3/8″ plate for coarse grind and 1/8″ plate for fine grind. Infratec and/or anylray lean testing equipment is used to ensure accurate fat percentage ratio of each of our grinds.
Not sure what the first line about trimmings from our own fabrication facilities means…
Sounds like pink slime to me, but hey I am no expert. I find f odd that they will not out and out say,” We do not use pink slime of any type.” But, then again, maybe that would be a false statement and that is why they will not say it. In my opinion the USDA sticks too because they will not mandate that meat with “pink slime be labeled as such. Beef lobbyists are lining someone’s pockets!!
*it *sucks
I totally agree. So now I’m wondering what to do with all of this zaycon beef I just purchased. How can I in good conscience use it?
well you’ve been eating it for ever how long they have been putting in meat without knowing it. I guess you need to decide if you can continue to eat it or not……
BTW my dogs would love to eat it for you if you need to get rid of it…..let me know if you need it picked up.
Caught the tail end of an NPR story today — sounds like at least since 2009? if I heard it correctly. But anyway, yes: Most of us have been eating this, and we’re just fine
. It’s good though to be aware so we can choose to avoid.
(You probably don’t want to talk about chicken nuggets next, right? lol)
So, if it is ground on site, it probably does not have the LFTB. I think Tony’s grinds their meat on site, but I’m not certain. Anyone else know?
I’m so happy that I went back to buying my hamburger at my local meat market! I was buying family packs of hamburger from other stores to save money, but it simply didn’t taste as good as the hamburger from the meat market. Now I know why! BTW — I NEVER bought hamburger at Dominick’s anyway — their prices are very high.
Well, I have to say I highly recommend Seven Sons Farm in Indiana. They sell grass fed beef ONLY…it is more expensive, and I am a total bargain hunter, but I really don’t want to contribute to the whole factory farm thing. I coupon, and use the money I save to buy more expensive meat that I KNOW I can trust. Plus, my meat loving DH swears it is the best beef he has ever had. They also have chicken and pork, and deliver to the Chicago area…to be sure, buy from the FARMER!!!! http://www.sevensons.net/
We buy direct from the farmer as well. We use Wallace Farms and love their meat. We are also going to split a cow with some friends.
I use to buy round steak and have it ground up when it was on sale !Would their still be the same problem with pink slime ?
no, the slime is added at the processing plants, not at the stores
If you ground it yourself there would be no pink slime.
If the butcher ground it for you, there shouldn’t be any as well.
Has anyone know or heard of whether or not Aldi or Target uses pink slime?
Thanks!
This is the reply I received from Pete’s market
“No, we do not put and LFTB in our meat. Lean, Finely textured beef is used as a preservative in packages meats. Considering we cut ground and package all our meats fresh everyday in our store we have no reason to use this product. All that goes into our packaged meats are natural ingratiates for flavor and such. This product might be common in stores that do not have an in house butcher and buy prepackaged meats from a distributor.”
Thank you Genevieve Borowski -Marketing
Anyone know about Butera?
I’ve sent an email on to Piggly Wiggly Midwest so we will see what happens. I did have to select my store so I’m not sure if my answer will only apply to the Grayslake location, but I will keep you posted on what I hear back.
I’m wondering as well about Butera/Piggly Wiggly, I hope not! Please let us know when you hear something, thanks!
I got an answer from the Pig!:
Hello and thank you for contacting us. We investigated this and concluded that our 85% or leaner ground beef along with our Certified Angus ground beef does not contain “pink slime”…this has been confirmed by our primary supplier. The 80% and 73% ground beef may or may not contain it depending on the packer and the facility it comes from. Going forward, we intend to only procure product that does not contain this. If I can help with any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you.
David Karczewski
Piggly Wiggly Supermarkets
Antioch, Grayslake & Zion
847-395-7842
Oh…and if you got the 10 pound chubs of ground beef from the truckload sale (I did because I missed the Zaycon), these were 85% Ground Beef, so NO PINK SLIME!
Has anyone checked Strack and Van Til?
Wow! This has been some serious market fall-out for the FTLB. With the massive consumer uprising there could be a return to meat ground in store and less processing. Wouldn’t that be fabulous?!
Last year, The Jamie Oliver Food Revolution aired an episode about this pink slime. Since then, I’ve been purchasing my beef from Wallace Farms. It’s farm direct, contains no pink slime, and meets or exceeds organic standards, AND is 100% grass fed. Saving money with coupons has made me feel good about splurging on the healthiest beef for my family, and while supporting a local farmer! Check it out! http://www.wallacefarms.com
They have various pickup/warehouse locations, including Naperville.
Caputo’s tells me they don’t use it! Whew, as I buy most of my meat there anyway. I am pretty sure they do grind it there so it makes sense. 80/20 ground chuck is on sale for $1.99/lb (family pack) starting tomorrow! Mmmm, burgers.
Thanks for the good news! That’s a good price too. Safeway announced this morning that they won’t be carrying meat containing it anymore either!