The Pink Slime Debate

There has been a growing debate about the use in school lunches of "lean finely textured beef" or what has become known as "pink slime."  This substance, which is being used to supplement real ground beef, is made from the trimmings from other cuts of meat, such as steaks and roasts, and connective tissue — including cow hide.  Since these trimmings are not made from muscle, pink slime is not considered meat by some food experts.

In early March of this year, Education Week (March 28, 2012) reported that a Houston mother launched a petition on Change.org calling on the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop providing meat to school lunch programs containing pink slime.  The petition gathered more than a quarter of a million signatures in a few days.  As a result, on March 15, the USDA announced, "due to customer demand, the department 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 texturized beef." 

One challenge for programs (including preschools) not participating in the school lunch program is that meat producers are not yet required to identify when pink slime is included with ground beef.  So it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine if you are purchasing pink slime. 

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