USDA Gives Schools the Option to Buy Beef Without "Pink Slime"

Pink slime" is back in the headlines. After fast-food giants like McDonald's got rid of the chemically-treated beef additive in January, the public learned that "pink slime" was still being served at schools. Now, due to public outcry, the USDA will offer an alternative.

According to NPR's food blog, The Salt, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to give school administrators a choice regarding the use of "pink slime" in school lunches. For the next school year, administrators can choose to order beef without "pink slime." This alternative plan was created because of what the USDA dubbed, "customer demand."

After word got out that schools would continue to use the product, officially called "Lean Finely Textured Beef," parents and the general public were outraged. Thousands of people signed petitions asking the government to stop buying "pink slime" for school lunches. One petition created on the Care2 Petition Site titled, "Stop Using 'Pink Slime' Beef in Schools," has received more than 13,000 signatures.

While public outcry over Lean Finely Textured Beef caused the USDA to make a change, they continue to stand by the safety of the beef product. The USDA stated that all of the food that is purchased for the National School Lunch Program is tested, including "pink slime." But the problem many people have with "pink slime" is not that it is deemed edible, but how it is prepared. Lean Finely Textured Beef is made from beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria. This product is then added to ground beef as "filler."

http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/schools-buy-beef-without-pink-slime