WASHINGTON, D.C. — Grossly-dubbed ‘pink slime’ by national media, the ground beef additive known as Lean Finely Textured Beef exploded on the Internet last week, igniting concerns over food safety after images surfaced of a fluffy, pink meat-like substance just hours before the USDA declared changes to its National School Lunch Program.

“It is truly unfortunate and a severe disservice to our nation’s beef producers and all consumers that media outlets have resorted to misleading the American public and sensationalizing this safe, lean beef product,” said J.D. Alexander, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Assoc. (NCBA) in a statement released last week.

“As school districts and parents work to make decisions about the food they serve their children, they should feel confident, regardless of the type of beef they choose, that they are serving the safest, most wholesome beef product in the world.”

After a growing number of concerns from parents and school officials eventually flooded USDA inboxes, including a large petition started by food blogger Bettina Elias Siegel, the agency made a change to its National School Lunch Program to include additional options for schools in procuring ground beef products that do not contain the crassly-identified Lean Finely Textured Beef.

“USDA only purchases products for the school lunch program that are safe, nutritious and affordable – including all products containing Lean Finely Textured Beef,” said USDA officials in a March 15 statement. “However, due to customer demand, the federal agency will be adjusting procurement specifications for the next school year so schools can have additional options in procuring ground beef products. USDA will provide schools with a choice to order product either with or without Lean Finely Textured Beef.”

Currently, Lean Finely Textured Beef is used as an additive in ground beef and other processed beef products. According to the USDA, it is a meat product derived from a process which separates fatty pieces from beef trimmings to reduce the overall fat content – its then safely misted with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella. 

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, host of Food Revolution is an outspoken critic to the use of Lean Finely Textured Beef and has said “to me as a chef and a food lover it’s shocking. Basically we’re taking a product that would be sold in the cheapest form for dogs and making it ‘fit’ for humans.”

Oliver, who hosted a controversial special on ‘pink slime’ last April, along with other national food critics contend that Lean Finely Textured Beef is unnatural for human consumption and is made up of all the leftover scraps that no one wants.

“The fact remains that Lean Finely Textured Beef is a 100 percent beef product produced from beef trimmings that yields an additional 10-12 pounds of lean, nutritious beef from every beef animal,” said Alexander, also a cattlemen from Pilgar, Neb.

According to the NCBA, the production of Lean Finely Textured Beef prevents lean, nutritious beef from being wasted.

“This lean beef product, like all beef, is naturally-rich in nutrients like zinc, iron, protein and B vitamins,” said Alexander. “It can be added to other cuts of beef to produce ground beef. Lean Finely Textured Beef offers affordable nutrition for kids, which is critical given shrinking school budgets, rising food costs and the fact that for many kids, school lunch is the best chance at getting a well-balanced meal during the day.”

While USDA sets national nutritional guidelines for school meals, school districts make local decisions on what food to feed kids to meet these guidelines.

On average, schools in the National School Lunch Program purchase approximately 20 percent of their food through USDA, and approximately 80 percent of food served is purchased directly by schools or school districts through private vendors. Schools purchase food from the department through the USDA Foods Program, which provides more than 180 food items that are fresh, frozen, packaged, canned, dried or in bulk.

According to the agency, the USDA ensures all food purchased for the National School Lunch Program meet stringent food safety standards, which includes rigorous pathogen testing.

For both sides of the story behind LFTB, visit the Beef Products, Inc. blog at (producers of LFTB) www.pinkslimeisamyth. com or Mommy blogger and food advocate Bettina Elias Siegel’s blog at www.thelunchtray.com