Not since 3^rd grade art class have the words “pink slime” been heard so often in everyday conversation.  In mere weeks, thanks in no small part to TV food star Jamie Oliver, it seems like moms, lobbyists, educators, writers and bloggers are all up in arms over “pink slime” and it’s pervasive use in processed ground beef found in –gasp- nearly every grocery store in America.  With that being said, here are 11 facts about pink slime, meat and America in no particular order.

• The correct name for “pink slime” is “Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings” (BLBT)
• The USDA has allowed BLBT use since 1991
• Americans eat an average of 61.4 pounds of beef per year per person
• Using Ammonia in food processing has been commonplace since the mid-1970s
• Ammonia is also used in processing: baked goods, cheeses, chocolates, puddings, meat, condiments, dairy, fruits, vegetables, cereal and sports drinks
• The use of Ammonia in food processing is approved as “GRAS” (GRAS is not something cows eat but stands for “Generally Recognized as Safe”)
• The year that Americans ate the most beef per year was 1976 (94.3 pounds/person)
• There are currently 27 Facebook groups about “pink slime” (1 of them is a band)
• There are 29 possible cuts of beef that can be made
• Red meat slaughter and processing industry sales totaled more than $96 billion in 2006
• In 2009 American meat companies produced 26 billion pounds of beef

SOURCES

http://www.meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/63785

http://meatami.com/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/67997

http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Questions_and_Answers_about_Ammonium_Hydroxide_Use_in_Food_Production

Share