Attack of the Pink Slime!

[Amaris]

No it IS filler and its grinds up more than beef, it grinds up eyes and other discarded industrial butcher parts too.The color that is soaked out of the filler with ammonia hydroxide is then re-added artificially. In addition, this bath doesn't always get rid of all the microorganisms. The protein is far less soluable in processed meat than in in ordinary ground chuck by double in some cases, and far less nutritious, making our gut work harder. Its absolute garbage. The fact that Americans continue to eat that shit isn't surprising though, look down any commercial main street, they're filled with the absolute worst food imaginable, Wendy's, Denny's, Maconalds, Pizzerias, etc. Some of which abandoned the slime, which is why they switched over to schools. No wonder 70% of Americans are overweight and many others are unhealthy.

You don't think its shady Trekker? While many Americans were vaguely aware of this process (how else would you get boneless meat in odd shapes...and products touted as quality meat claim to use no"fillers") the industry doesn't actually go out of its way to to tell people they are eating ammonia soaked meat that's re-colored and ground up from body parts we'd normally avoid. So because it's cheap and convenient it's ok?

RAMA

It's not filler. Fillers consist of non-digestible foods such as sawdust. This is actual lean meat. Also, the meat is not "ammonia soaked". It is dusted with ammonia, and nothing other than trace amounts of that can be found in the meat itself. Americans are overweight and unhealthy because they consume foods infused with massive amounts of sodium, fat, sugar, and carbohydrate.

 

[RAMA]

No it IS filler and its grinds up more than beef, it grinds up eyes and other discarded industrial butcher parts too.The color that is soaked out of the filler with ammonia hydroxide is then re-added artificially. In addition, this bath doesn't always get rid of all the microorganisms. The protein is far less soluable in processed meat than in in ordinary ground chuck by double in some cases, and far less nutritious, making our gut work harder. Its absolute garbage. The fact that Americans continue to eat that shit isn't surprising though, look down any commercial main street, they're filled with the absolute worst food imaginable, Wendy's, Denny's, Maconalds, Pizzerias, etc. Some of which abandoned the slime, which is why they switched over to schools. No wonder 70% of Americans are overweight and many others are unhealthy.

You don't think its shady Trekker? While many Americans were vaguely aware of this process (how else would you get boneless meat in odd shapes...and products touted as quality meat claim to use no"fillers") the industry doesn't actually go out of its way to to tell people they are eating ammonia soaked meat that's re-colored and ground up from body parts we'd normally avoid. So because it's cheap and convenient it's ok?

RAMA

It's not filler. Fillers consist of non-meats such as sawdust and grains. This is actual lean meat. Also, the meat is not "ammonia soaked". It is dusted with ammonia, and nothing other than trace amounts of that can be found in the meat itself. Americans are overweight and unhealthy because they consume foods infused with massive amounts of sodium, fat, sugar, and carbohydrate.

Its soaked in ammonium hydroxide: it's ammonia partially dissolved in water. In some cases (like chicken, chicken nuggets) the meat has to be re-colored. This so-called lean meat includes: connective tissue, trimmings, and scraps from industrial butcher plants...parts which are most susceptible to biological contamination. Of course its LEAN...it doesn't include much meat!! This is often insoluable protein, and causes your body to work harder...kind of analogous to your body having to burn empty calories. By-products that constitute the slime are never allowed to be sold independently, they can only make up 15% of any product and are therefore a "filler"...ie: filling out fattier, real meat mainly to save money.

Americans are also overweight for eating processed, hard to digest foods, because the very act of adding fillers made it CHEAPER to process and sell.

RAMA

 

[Amaris]

Its soaked in ammonium hydroxide: it's ammonia partially dissolved in water. This so-called lean meat includes: connective tissue, trimmings, and scraps from industrial butcher plants...parts which are most susceptible to biological contamination. Of course its LEAN...it doesn't include much meat!! This is often insoluable protein, and causes your body to work harder...kind of analogous to your body having to burn empty calories. By-products that constitute the slime are never allowed to be sold independently, they can only make up 15% of any product and are therefore a "filler"...ie: filling out fattier, real meat mainly to save money.

Americans are also overweight for eating processed, hard to digest foods, because the very act of adding fillers made it CHEAPER to process and sell.

RAMA

Firstly, ammonium hydroxide is a gas, and occurs naturally in the body. Secondly, the lean beef trimmings, and that's what they are, are packed into existing beef as lean beef trimmings. They are not used as fillers because it is still beef. That connective tissue? Honey, you'll find it in your ground chuck. That said, where do you get your information? Because mine comes from the USDA. Quite frankly, I don't think you know what the product actually is, and are only going by the scaremongering media that turned a safe, reliable, cost effective process used for over 20 years, into something to scare unsuspecting families shitless.

 

[nightwind1]

Its soaked in ammonium hydroxide: it's ammonia partially dissolved in water. This so-called lean meat includes: connective tissue, trimmings, and scraps from industrial butcher plants...parts which are most susceptible to biological contamination. Of course its LEAN...it doesn't include much meat!! This is often insoluable protein, and causes your body to work harder...kind of analogous to your body having to burn empty calories. By-products that constitute the slime are never allowed to be sold independently, they can only make up 15% of any product and are therefore a "filler"...ie: filling out fattier, real meat mainly to save money.

Americans are also overweight for eating processed, hard to digest foods, because the very act of adding fillers made it CHEAPER to process and sell.

RAMA

Firstly, ammonium hydroxide is a gas, and occurs naturally in the body. Secondly, the lean beef trimmings, and that's what they are, are packed into existing beef as lean beef trimmings. They are not used as fillers because it is still beef. That connective tissue? Honey, you'll find it in your ground chuck. That said, where do you get your information? Because mine comes from the USDA. Quite frankly, I don't think you know what the product actually is, and are only going by the scaremongering media that turned a safe, reliable, cost effective process used for over 20 years, into something to scare unsuspecting families shitless.

Exactly. One more person with NO experience in either meat packing OR food service, spouting off about something they know nothing about.

 

[Trekker4747]

No it IS filler and its grinds up more than beef, it grinds up eyes and other discarded industrial butcher parts too.The color that is soaked out of the filler with ammonia hydroxide is then re-added artificially.

Using eyes and other pieces of "offal" from the cow isn't allowed by FDA standards, heck because of CJD the entire nervous system of the cow can't be used.

LFTB isn't eyes or any other part of the cow. They're trimmings. Could it be trimmings scraped off the bone? Yes, but beef still exists on the bone and any connective tissue that's there is no big deal as that's still beef and connective tissues and such are still in whole pieces of meat. Colorings and such cannot be added, not without it being mentioned on product labeling. The pink stuff seen on TV was ground chicken, not ground beef or the LFTB/"pink slime." The stuff produced by the process comes out looking like ground beef.

As for the ammonia bit, I've heard it's exposed to it as a gas and it isn't a "bath" but I suppose it's possible for bath to be used as well. It's no matter, the ammonia helps to kill the bacteria that may have grown while the beef was held in the food-danger zone during the separation process. Ammonia is a natural chemical that exists in your body right now. Your kidneys do a pretty good job of processing it and excreting it through your urine. Ammonia is used in a number of food-making processes including the manufacturing of cheeses, yogurts and much more. It's a NATURAL chemical. It's in your body right now and it can deal with it.

You don't think its shady Trekker?

Shady? Not really. A lot goes into the making of food that we're (and I) am not aware of but it's part of living in a society that demands food be safe from food borne illness and for a society with a high demand and need for food.

The LFTB process helps prevent the slaughtering of more cattle and keeps the cost of ground-beef in check since more highly regarded cuts can end up as a steak or roast instead of as hamburger. The LFTB helps recover meat that'd otherwise go to waste and makes ground beef production go further. I forget the exact numbers but without it a lot more cattle would need to be slaughtered and the price of ground beef (and likely whole cuts of beef) would go up quite bit. (I believe as much as a 20% rise in costs would be expected over time.)

Would I prefer my hamburger to be all straight-forward beef trim and not contain LFTB? Eh, maybe. But when I use hamburger I'm either making it into a spaghetti sauce, tacos, meatloaf or sometimes Hamburger Helper. Occasionally I use it to make a burger. Hamburger isn't exactly quality dining to begin with so it's no big deal to me where it comes from.

This LFTB process is all beef, muscle trimmings, and doesn't contain organ meat, offal, or any of that stuff.

While many Americans were vaguely aware of this process (how else would you get boneless meat in odd shapes...and products touted as quality meat claim to use no"fillers") the industry doesn't actually go out of its way to to tell people they are eating ammonia soaked meat that's re-colored and ground up from body parts we'd normally avoid. So because it's cheap and convenient it's ok?

Ammonia, again, is a natural chemical that is harmless to you, not to mention it has a boiling point of around -30F so it'll evaporate out of your food pretty quickly. As for boneless meat in "odd shapes" never seen it myself, you may be talking about something else entirely there, in true cuts I've also never heard of colorings being added. I don't deny it exists but if you shop in quality places you're probably in good hands.

LFTB/"pink slime" is nothing to worry about. There are shadier things going on out there in the world in other industries and I also would assume there are shady things going on in the food industry. LFTB isn't one of them.

 

[horatio83]

Looks like you have serious issues with a guy who unlike you has actually motivated many people to cook more, better and healthier.
By the way, do you inform your customers about the low quality of the stuff you cook, about how it is chemically treated and so on? Once you do it you can actually talk about consumers choice, until then you are the hack who advocates people to eat crap without knowing it.

So, tell me, what kind of qualifications do you have in either the food service industry, or the meatpacking industry? I'd love to hear what makes you more intelligent on this subject than professionals whose job it is to know about these kinds of things.

None and I am a friggin' veggie so I personally couldn't care less about pseudo-meat being sold as meat.
The professionals in here behave like financial traders who are happy when they can sell crappy assets to their customers. Why else would you be so pissed off about your customers wanting to actually know what they are eating?

 

[Amaris]

None and I am a friggin' veggie so I personally couldn't care less about pseudo-meat being sold as meat.
The professionals in here behave like financial traders who are happy when they can sell crappy assets to their customers. Why else would you be so pissed off about your customers wanting to actually know what they are eating?

AND YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

[/flies off in robot jetpack]

 

[nightwind1]

Looks like you have serious issues with a guy who unlike you has actually motivated many people to cook more, better and healthier.
By the way, do you inform your customers about the low quality of the stuff you cook, about how it is chemically treated and so on? Once you do it you can actually talk about consumers choice, until then you are the hack who advocates people to eat crap without knowing it.

So, tell me, what kind of qualifications do you have in either the food service industry, or the meatpacking industry? I'd love to hear what makes you more intelligent on this subject than professionals whose job it is to know about these kinds of things.

None and I am a friggin' veggie so I personally couldn't care less about pseudo-meat being sold as meat.
The professionals in here behave like financial traders who are happy when they can sell crappy assets to their customers. Why else would you be so pissed off about your customers wanting to actually know what they are eating?

Actually, we CARE what our customers are eating, which is why we get so pissed off when people tell OUTRIGHT LIES and FABRICATIONS and MISINFORMATION about it.

 

[horatio83]

So, tell me, what kind of qualifications do you have in either the food service industry, or the meatpacking industry? I'd love to hear what makes you more intelligent on this subject than professionals whose job it is to know about these kinds of things.

None and I am a friggin' veggie so I personally couldn't care less about pseudo-meat being sold as meat.
The professionals in here behave like financial traders who are happy when they can sell crappy assets to their customers. Why else would you be so pissed off about your customers wanting to actually know what they are eating?

Actually, we CARE what our customers are eating, which is why we get so pissed off when people tell OUTRIGHT LIES and FABRICATIONS and MISINFORMATION about it.

You totally fail to see what the wicked guys who label your precious meat pink slime actually want. That it is not intertwined with ordinary meat, that customers actually have a choice between buying meat and pink slime or whatever euphemism the industry wants to use instead.
That's not even what I would favour, an explicit quality regulation that forbid folks to sell crap. It is just an honest labeling. If it were "just beef" and not crap the hamburger fraction wouldn't have a problem with this.

 

[Amaris]

Unsurprising that you cannot respond seriously and that you totally fail to see what the wicked guys who label your precious meat pink slime actually want. That it is not intertwined with ordinary meat, that customers actually have a choice between buying meat and pink slime or whatever euphemism the industry wants to use instead.
That's not even what I would favour, an explicit quality regulation that forbid folks to sell crap. It is just an honest labeling. If it were "just beef" and not crap the hamburger fraction wouldn't have a problem with this.

My precious meat pink slime! So precious! I must haves it! I wants it!

No, you see, I take this seriously, which is why I have backed up any claims that I have made. You, on the other hand, have been doing no such thing. You, apparently, only have the time to do nothing more than be emotional and reactionary about it.

Trekker backed up his assertions.
I backed up my assertions.
You got emotional.

Who is taking what seriously again?
In the immortal words of James T. Kirk, "On the contrary, sir. I think of this project as very important. It is you I take lightly."

 

[Mary Ann]

A bit late to the party, but I have to agree with Iguana and Shaytan. IMO it's better to eat less good-quality produce than to constantly eat lower-grade stuff. It can be very difficult to break the habit of eating meat every day, especially as meals are often centred around the meat ("Mom, what's for dinner?" "Beef/chicken/fish"). Most of my household is pesco-vegetarian so I hardly ever cook meat anyway, but when I do it's quality stuff that I can't afford to buy on a regular basis (ever had organic pink veal? It's incredible). The majority of the meals I cook are vegetarian and, though I say so myself, they're pretty good, and are most often cheaper than meals based on even poorer-quality meat.

 

[Amaris]

A bit late to the party, but I have to agree with Iguana and Shaytan. IMO it's better to eat less good-quality produce than to constantly eat lower-grade stuff. It can be very difficult to break the habit of eating meat every day, especially as meals are often centred around the meat ("Mom, what's for dinner?" "Beef/chicken/fish"). Most of my household is pesco-vegetarian so I hardly ever cook meat anyway, but when I do it's quality stuff that I can't afford to buy on a regular basis (ever had organic pink veal? It's incredible). The majority of the meals I cook are vegetarian and, though I say so myself, they're pretty good, and are most often cheaper than meals based on even poorer-quality meat.

It all comes down to economics. What is easier, faster, cheaper, because our collective time and finances are split in so many ways. Is it healthier? No, but I'd say our culture here in the U.S. has been quite unhealthy for some time, and I'm not just referring to the food. People who have plenty of resources have more available choices. People who have much less have fewer available choices. The U.S. is a bit different in that it's size and makeup change those choices depending upon where you can go. In Europe and Britain, you're no more than a hundred miles from seaports, trade routes, etc. In the U.S., if you live in the Midwest, the nearest seaport is about 900 miles away.

I do my best to feed my family with what I can afford. Quality, organic foods? Hell no, not even on my radar. For the price of one organic tomato, I can buy 3 hothouse tomatoes that can go into a salad to feed the family for 2 days. For the price of a stalk of celery, I can buy a pound of ground beef. I can fix dinner for about $8 a night, for 3 people, and I do my best to make it healthy. I like fruits, veggies, and lean meats, and when I can afford the better quality items, I do. However, most of the time, I'm on that budget, and I have to take in the different dietary requirements of 3 people when making what choices I have.

 

[Mary Ann]

I don't buy organic veg, either, because they're also out of my budget. What I'm saying is that it's possible to make perfectly good meals without meat. A lot of my meals begin with a tin of chopped tomatoes, which is cheap and cheerful, and a lot of these meals can be whipped up quickly. I make a lot of veggie-based casseroles so I can make the ingredients go further; I simply add dried lentils or other pulses to boost the fibre and protein content. Casseroles can also be prepared the night before so they just have to be put in the oven the next day if you're short on time. I understand what you're saying, J, but I'm a firm believer that more people on tight budgets can still eat well.

 

[horatio83]

Unsurprising that you cannot respond seriously and that you totally fail to see what the wicked guys who label your precious meat pink slime actually want. That it is not intertwined with ordinary meat, that customers actually have a choice between buying meat and pink slime or whatever euphemism the industry wants to use instead.
That's not even what I would favour, an explicit quality regulation that forbid folks to sell crap. It is just an honest labeling. If it were "just beef" and not crap the hamburger fraction wouldn't have a problem with this.

My precious meat pink slime! So precious! I must haves it! I wants it!

No, you see, I take this seriously, which is why I have backed up any claims that I have made. You, on the other hand, have been doing no such thing. You, apparently, only have the time to do nothing more than be emotional and reactionary about it.

Trekker backed up his assertions.
I backed up my assertions.
You got emotional.

Who is taking what seriously again?
In the immortal words of James T. Kirk, "On the contrary, sir. I think of this project as very important. It is you I take lightly."

Iguana has already pointed out that Trekker talked BS. No need for more to repeat this.
The very fact that you do not want ordinary beef and pink slime to be seperated speaks for itself. If it actually were the same you would be totally fine with this suggestion but you are not so they aren't the same. QED

I don't buy organic veg, either, because they're also out of my budget. What I'm saying is that it's possible to make perfectly good meals without meat. A lot of my meals begin with a tin of chopped tomatoes, which is cheap and cheerful, and a lot of these meals can be whipped up quickly. I make a lot of veggie-based casseroles so I can make the ingredients go further; I simply add dried lentils or other pulses to boost the fibre and protein content. Casseroles can also be prepared the night before so they just have to be put in the oven the next day if you're short on time. I understand what you're saying, J, but I'm a firm believer that more people on tight budgets can still eat well.

Indeed, it is not a matter of poverty but a matter of priorities. The generation of my grandparents still spent 25%-50% of their budget on food (or grew it on their own) whereas we merely spend about 10%.
If people say that they have no money for fresh and healthy food they basically say that they rather like to spend that money on other stuff. I also had times in my life where I had to make due with very little but I never saved on food. Guess that happens when you grow up near the French border.

 

[Amaris]

Iguana has already pointed out that Trekker talked BS. No need for more to repeat this.
The very fact that you do not want ordinary beef and pink slime to be seperated speaks for itself. If it actually were the same you would be totally fine with this suggestion but you are not so they aren't the same. QED

With all due respect to Iguana, no, he didn't. He voiced his opinions, and his preferences, to which he is fully entitled. Trekker and I posted actual, fact based information on how the process works and what it means nutritionally. You're just engaging in a little ignorant scaremongering disguised as a point of view.

Also, quit using QED. You don't even know what the hell it means.

 

[horatio83]

Yes he did, he pointed out Trekker's BS and I know enough Latin to be aware of what q.e.d. means.
My point, which you totally missed, was that I do not need to engage with the details of chemically treating (these two words suffice) meat at all. The very fact that you do not want that meat to be labelled and neatly separated from the ordinary meat proves that you do not consider it to be identical. If it were you would not fear the sunlight.

In psychology this behaviour is called cognitive dissonance. You eat this crap all day so you gotta either admit to yourself that you are stupid or that the stuff ain't all that unhealthy. Smokers do the same and whenever I ride with my bike along thick-traffic streets I also do the same. In the case of doubt you always tell yourself that you are smart and that the meat or the cigarette or the traffic aren't that dangerous.

The other guys pro-crap guys in here, well, they are working in the friggin' industry, of course they are lying through their teeth.

 

[Amaris]

Yes he did, he pointed out Trekker's BS and I know enough Latin to be aware of what q.e.d. means.
My point, which you totally missed, was that I do not need to engage with the details of chemically treating (these two words suffice) meat at all. The very fact that you do not want that meat to be labelled and neatly separated from the ordinary meat proves that you do not consider it to be identical. If it were you would not fear the sunlight.

Quick, Trekker, to the Meatorium of Evil! We have innocents to deceive!

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

I don't care if they use safe pink slime as long as it is adequately labelled so people can make choices. All of these objections seem to be about grossness, not sure how the pink slime stand up as far as protein goes. If there are issues with that and additives people need to be aware of it.

As to budget and health and time.. I hate cooking and most of my meals are very simple and quick. Only have meat a couple times a week though we eat eggs every day. Mostly vegetables based on what is in season and on sale, pulses etc.. the meat we eat is not processed, it is straight chicken, fish or kangaroo which is cheaper than steak here and better. When I have been at my poorest we have eaten no processed food at all because it is much more expensive.

As to organic vegies, I remember hearing a green grocer on the radio who sold organic vegies in his shop say that when he ran low on them he just went to the market and bought the most beat up vegies he could find, labeled them organic and jacked up the price.

 

[Hound of UIster]

Yes he did, he pointed out Trekker's BS and I know enough Latin to be aware of what q.e.d. means.
My point, which you totally missed, was that I do not need to engage with the details of chemically treating (these two words suffice) meat at all. The very fact that you do not want that meat to be labelled and neatly separated from the ordinary meat proves that you do not consider it to be identical. If it were you would not fear the sunlight.

Quick, Trekker, to the Meatorium of Evil! We have innocents to deceive!

Is it so hard to address the point or to admit that he is right? It seems denigrating the poster is the last refuge of those who know that they are wrong.

 

[horatio83]

Yes he did, he pointed out Trekker's BS and I know enough Latin to be aware of what q.e.d. means.
My point, which you totally missed, was that I do not need to engage with the details of chemically treating (these two words suffice) meat at all. The very fact that you do not want that meat to be labelled and neatly separated from the ordinary meat proves that you do not consider it to be identical. If it were you would not fear the sunlight.

Quick, Trekker, to the Meatorium of Evil! We have innocents to deceive!

Looks like you have run out of arguments. This is hardly surprising given that you argue for "do not label different quality meat, keep the customer uninformed, be a corporate minion" aka, just be ignorant and subservient.
Consumer choice seems to be a quintessential American word. You might wanna get back to that.