Now, the one issue we have to remember about this news story is the fact that a 'choice' is being made available to authorities - local and national - as to whether or not this product is used for school lunches in America. There has been a lot of misinformation swirling around the Internet and on TV about lean beef trim produced by Beef Products, Inc. Some recent media reports created a troubling and inaccurate picture, particularly in their use of the term “pink slime.” The fact is, Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings are beef. The beef trimmings that are used to make BLBT are absolutely edible, from USDA inspected carcasses and from an edible process. In fact, no process can somehow make inedible meat edible; it’s impossible. In reality, the production process simply removes fat and makes the remaining beef more lean and suited to a variety of beef products that satisfy consumers’ desire for leaner foods. There are many types of interventions including food-grade antimicrobial sprays, which are used on all manner of foods. Some of these things may sound gross to the general public, especially when inaccurately portrayed. These interventions are necessary in ridding meat of deadly pathogens and are required to prove they pose no threats to consumers. Companies would be prohibited by the USDA and FDA to use substances that could be harmful in human consumption. I am very concerned that miss-categorization campaigns such as this "pink slime" campaign will cause well-intentioned companies such as BPI to cease innovations for developing better food safety technologies and strategies, hurt is market place positioning, as well as the market of ground beef and it’s by products, and the jobs an income of many of it’s employees and the potential hardship to their families.
Why try to do something better only to get set up as a target? If and when this does in fact happen, and technologies get stopped, and we, the American public, will be the losers.
We don't have any product that is derived from BLBT at my stores, but I'm also upset with the media portrayal of "pink slime". The fact of the matter is, this is a solid protein product. It would be extremely unwise to stop processing BLBT. With the current record high price of beef as it is, removing BLBT will only increase pricing. This could really damage not only BLBT processers but the retail/grocery industry as well. I hope the beef counsel figures out a positive spin on this quick, fast and in a hurry!
