JACKSON, Mich. — School food service directors will soon have the option of buying beef that does not contain “pink slime,” according to MLive. A change in U.S. Department of Agriculture rules will allow school districts to buy ground beef with or without the filler next year.
The derisively named filler is made of meat scraps that are heated to remove fat and then treated with ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria. The product meets federal food safety standards and has been on the market for years, but has recently come under attack by activists seeking to ban the substance from school lunches, according to MLive. It is found in nearly 70 percent of ground beef in the U.S., but has been banned by several fast food chains.
SOURCE:
MLive, “Schools can opt out of 'pink slime' beef next year, USDA says,” March 15, 2012
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, “Few happy with proposed school lunch rules,” April 10, 2011
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