What is Pink Slime, and How Can You Avoid It?
Low-cost beef filler is treated with ammonia
Updated: Tuesday, 20 Mar 2012, 2:38 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 19 Mar 2012, 10:43 PM CDT
Published : Monday, 19 Mar 2012, 10:43 PM CDT
by Scott Wasserman / FOX 9 News
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Many people are wondering what "pink slime" is now that the USDA is officially giving schools the option whether or not to serve meat that uses the food product, but even more are wondering how they can avoid it.
Unfortunately, there is no labeling system to distinguish which beef products contain the low-cost filler made from fatty bits of leftover cuts and treated with ammonia. Many companies use it to prevent or suppress the growth of E. coli.
"It's only been around for seven to eight years, and if we think of ammonia or bleach -- those are things we use for cleaning, which we don't inhale," said Lifetime Fitness dietician Anika Decoster. "The fact that it's adding to the food we eat every day, not such a good thing."
The only major grocery store that FOX 9 News found in the Twin Cities that sold products containing the so-called "pink slime"
Read more: What is Pink Slime -- and How Can You Avoid It? http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/health/what-is-pink-slime-and-how-can-you-avoid-it-mar-19-2012#ixzz1plL8awTM
