Pink Slime Saga Continues

Gov. Terry Branstad is sending a letter to Iowa school superintendents urging them to continue serving lean finely textured beef in school lunches. And he's playing the obesity card:

The safety of this food is unmatched. In more than 20 years, there has not been one sickness or death associated with E. Coli or other bacteria. If lean, finely textured beef is pulled from schools in Iowa, the risks will be greater in using products deemed less safe.

Perhaps even more important is the battle we are waging against childhood obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama recently joined me at a rally where 10,000 students learned the value of exercise, eating well and taking good care of their bodies. By removing this lean product, schools will be forced to serve a fattier, unhealthier product. My goal is to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation over the next 5 years. We will not get there if we take a step backwards by removing lean, finely textured beef.

At the Iowa Republican, Craig Robinson wonders when an effort to inform the public that a product is safe becomes a marketing pitch for that product:

 I understand the need for Branstad and other Midwest leaders to stand up and support agricultural products that are produced in their states, but is it necessary to step in and personally vouch for and stand behind one particular product? Last time I checked, most Republicans believed in something called the free market. If people don't want their kids eating products that contain finely textured beef, that's their prerogative.

 Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the pro-pink slime crowd is going beyond just saying the product is safe. Governor Branstad is encouraging schools to continue to use the product. His actions might have also convinced the folks at Hy-Vee to reconsider pulling the product. I understand why Branstad and others feel like this is a smear campaign, but at the end of the day, it's the consumer who dictates to the market not the other way around.

I also get that Iowa jobs are at stake and that Branstad is pushing to make sure they aren't lost. That's what governors are expected to do.

But now that a strong counter argument has been made by the government and the industry that finely textured beef is safe, I think it's time to let consumers make the final call on what they want to eat, or what they want their kids to eat. BeefWhip doesn't bother me, but that's a personal choice. I am amused how pink slime has gone from dietary scourge to health food in just a few days' time.

And if I were a school superintendent, I might write back and explain to the governor that hamburger is among the least of my pressing problems.