News story on ‘pink slime’ is erroneous

In response to a recent ABC News story about “pink slime”: They are talking a product that is produced using beef fat with some visible lean attached. Because it is produced by a low temperature rendering process, the end product is raw, therefore it has a pink color.

This product has been produced for at least 15 years and was first labeled “partially defatted beef fatty tissue” (PDBFT) and was allowed to be included in many beef products with the exception of ground beef. When the name of the product was changed to “finely textured lean beef,” it became legal to be included in ground beef.

ABC stated that the products were treated with ammonia leading everyone to believe it to be regular household ammonia when in fact it is treated with ammonium hydroxide, which was approved for use in food products by the FDA in 1974 to make them safer while leaving no residual. ABC's claim that this product is made from the most “contaminated” parts of the carcass and would otherwise be used to make dog food is false.

Some market managers told ABC that they don't add “pink slime” to their ground beef. The truth is that supermarkets buy coarse ground beef from the packers with this product already in it. It is time that the news media reports the facts without trying to incite consumers with false reporting.

Russell Marks

Cedar Rapids