Pink Slime article from Feingold Association

Taken from April 2012 Feingold Association of the United States Pure Facts Newsletter

Just in time for April Fool’s Day!

There has recently been a great deal of publicity
about “pink slime.” This is the name
given to the substance made from the unwanted
products of meat processing — including
connective tissue and intestines that have typically
been discarded or used as pet food.

Beef Products Incorporated (BPI) was created to
make a profit on what was a throw-away product.
This is a great way to make money and has frequently
been done in the food processing industry.
Candle-maker William Proctor and soap maker
James Gamble found a way to turn the oil from
cottonseeds into a novel product and successfully
convinced housewives that their new “Crisco” was
a healthier alternative to traditional fats. Sadly,
they introduced us to trans fats and a heavy dose of
pesticides. Since cotton is not considered a source
of food, it is heavily treated with pesticides. Soybeans
have found similar success, going from a
crop that was planted only to enrich the soil, to a
big money-maker.

Now the throw-away products from beef are allowed
to be added to hamburger meat without
any requirement that they be labeled as such.
This practice, which has been going on since BPI
was formed in 1981, was brought to the attention
of the public by Jamie Oliver in his TV specials
about the school food revolution.

A health risk from using pink slime is that it can
contain pathogens like E. coli and salmonella. To
counteract the harmful microbes, the product is
exposed to ammonia gas. In some schools teachers
and students have claimed they can smell the
ammonia as they walk by the cafeteria.

The US Department on Agriculture, which
oversees school food, does not see anything
wrong with adding pink slime to hamburgers, but
some fast food chains and supermarkets now reject
it. Consumer pressure forced McDonald’s,
Burger King and Taco Bell to announce that they
would no longer use meat with pink slime.

For more information on there is a meeting in Williamsburg:

Better Food for Busy Families

The Food-Health-Behavior Connection

————————————–
You are invited to attend a free workshop on
Thursday, April 12, 2012
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Hosted by the King of Glory Preschool

4897 Longhill Road, Williamsburg

http://williamsburgfamiliesseasonal.blogspot.com/2012/03/food-health-behavior-connection.html

Or for more info on the Feingold Association of the United States visit their website
www.feingold.org