"It ain't right, I tell ya. They're putting that crap in our food and it just ain't right."
"Pink slime," as it has come to be known, is used to "stretch" ground beef to seemingly create more product, thereby making it more economical for consumers.
Translation: Its a filler that makes hamburger cheaper by the pound.
But, should we really be afraid of this stuff? Let's examine the facts.
"Pink slime," also known as lean finely textured beef (LFTB) or boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT), is comprised of finely ground beef scraps and connective tissue which are mechanically removed from the fat, processed (ground), heated, and treated with ammonia gas or citric acid to kill E. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria.
In other words, it's beef. B-E-E-F, Beef. Yes, it's treated with ammonia gas or citric acid (last I knew citric acid was a GOOD thing) to kill bacteria. Bacteria that kill people.
Oh, and by the way, the "other" beef ... you know, the good stuff? The beef that isn't made from scraps? it also is treated to kill bacteria. The industry prefers to use the term "intervention processes" when referring to the treatments used to kill bacteria on the non-scrap beef.
Some interventions include nothing more than a hot water wash, while others are more thorough, such as acid washes (usually organically derived acids) and anti-microbial sprays. Click here to read the entire report.
I don't know about you, but I'm awfully glad the beef industry takes measures to kill E.coli before it reaches my dinner table.
As for the so-called "pink slime" ...
- It is, and always has been BEEF.
- It's treated to kill bacteria, just like all the other meat we consume. Last I heard, that was a GOOD THING.
- It is poor stewardship of our resources to discard perfectly salvageable scraps that we can otherwise use for the greater good.
Now ........ How would you like your hamburger cooked?
P.S. Here's a little secret about the pink slime they use to make chicken nuggets. It's really ....... CHICKEN!!!!!
...Later.
So I take it from your comments that you are NOT a vegetarian. :-).
ReplyDeleteI do feel enlightened as I have never heard of "pink slime", thank you .
Oh and by the way, I agree with you!!
Happy Easter to you, Susan and the Kids.
Nancy
Thank you, Nancy. Yes, pink slime, as it is so nicely called, is also used to make chicken nuggets. Many people think it's a bad thing, until they realize that it is, in fact chicken. Ah, fickle America. I hope you have a happy Easter as well!
Delete2 pink-slime enhanced Buddhaburgers coming right up!!! :)
ReplyDeleteMake mine medium rare, please.
DeleteYou may accuse me of splitting hairs here, but I don't think it's fair to call it "filler." It's beef, and when you add beef to ground hamburger, you are not adding filler to beef, you are adding beef to beef.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it must be added that it's the cheapest cut of beef around, but what do think hamburger is made out of, filet mignon?
Did you read the entire post? I'm not disagreeing with you. I agree that beef is beef. I fully support the use of every particle of meat in my burger.
Delete