Science

Getting away from “pink slime”

April 4th, 2012

In the agriculture industry, there’s a branding war going on. Last week, Kansas, Texas and Iowa got on one side of the war. Georgia joined them today.

It starts as fatty beef tissue from cattle carcasses. It’s treated with ammonium hydroxide to lower the risk of E.Coli and other food borne illnesses. It’s also passed state and federal inspections.

What is it called? Gary Black says you should call it lean finely textured beef or LFTB.

“This product is labeled officially beef,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black.

Black is one of many elected officials trying to steer the public and the media away from saying “pink slime”. He didn’t even use that phrase at his press conference.

“It’s been referenced as stuff or other slang terms,” said Black.

Black and other states are so concerned about the phrase because he’s worried demand for Georgia beef could drop. He points to the millions of dollars Georgia farmers lost a few years ago over a produce scare. It turns out that problem didn’t stem from Georgia but from jalapenos from Mexico.

Black says there are no lean finely textured beef processors in Georgia. But, it is in meat served in schools and sold in stores. Grocery chain Publix says it never carried meat with the product. Kroger says it did but now doesn’t.