I get a newsletter every Friday in my email, and this came through in the email from American Simmental Association:
ABC News Reports on "Pink Slime": Earlier this week, ABC News aired a news investigation on the use of Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB), often called "pink slime," in supermarket ground beef. The three-minute segment features two former United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists, who strongly believe that LFTB should not be labeled as meat. The newscast claims that 70 percent of all ground beef sold at the supermarket contain LFTB.
Ammonium hydroxide is used to produce a lean meat product that is added to ground beef to reduce the overall fat content without compromising flavor. It also has an anti-microbial effect. Ammonium hydroxide also is used in a variety of other processed foods, such as baked goods, gelatins and puddings, and cheeses, and can occur naturally in foods. NCBA has several resources available, should you receive any questions about the safety of beef, including the talking points copied below, as well as a USDA fact sheet and a Meat MythCrusher video featuring Dr. Gary Acuff, Director, Center for Food Safety and Professor of Food and Microbiology at Texas A&M University. These materials are available at
www.Explorebeef.org.
NCBA Facts: We have the safest, most wholesome beef supply in the world.
* Ammonium hydroxide can be used as an antimicrobial to control and eliminate pathogens, such as E. coli O157:H7, which may be present in beef. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have determined this tool is safe. In addition to its use as an antimicrobial agent in meat products, the list of foods in which ammonium hydroxide is used as a direct food additive is extensive and includes baked goods, cheeses, chocolates, other confectionery (e.g., caramel) and puddings.
* According to USDA, only beef that has successfully completed the inspection requirements by the Food Safety and Inspection Service is eligible to enter into the national school lunch program (NSLP). The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) imposes strict requirements on food purchased by USDA for the NSLP to ensure that the food served to our children is safe and wholesome.
* Raising safe beef is the top priority for all cattlemen and is evidenced by their investment of $30 million in beef safety research since 1993. Annually, the beef community, as a whole, invests $550 million to research and implement food safety measures that include science, testing, implementation and validation.
* You can continue to feel confident buying and serving beef to your families.
NCBA will be monitoring the media and social media environment in order to determine best response routes and opportunities. If you have any questions, please contact Season Solorio at
[email protected]. Funded by The Beef Checkoff.