Guest guest Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 I'm sure no one would recommend cartilage, ligaments and these trimmings in a meal plan. This is a broader issue but the simple facts show what the product includes. And the pink color comes from ammonia- another item not typically found in meal plans and food choices where I live. > > > > Sincerely, > > Nodvin MS,RD,LD > 8343 Roswell RD #323 > Atlanta, Ga. 30350 > > > > >> Dear Group, >> >> While I am appalled by the thought of " pink slime " as much as the next person, as dietitians, could we maybe at least consider the other side of the argument? Pink slime is being hyped by the media as another bandwagon issue to be fought by social media warfare. Could there be another side to this issue? >> >> I am pasting below the entirety of an e-mail from Degner, Executive Director of the Iowa Beef Council. Before you judge her by her title, you should know that is a longtime respected colleague. I am not saying her e-mail provides the only answers to the " pink slime " issue, but asking that, as dietitians, you consider it. >> >> We are Americans and members of the general public, but as dietitians, and self-proclaimed nutrition experts, I feel we owe it to our clients to understand the facts of a situation before hopping on bandwagons one way or the other. If we are the experts, we need to act like the experts and look for the truth, not just blindly sign petitions and encourage others to accept the popular view! One person's pink slime may be another's good food! >> >> Sandi >> >> Nutrition friends, >> >> >> As you have probably seen in the news over the past four days a beef product called " Lean Finely Textured Beef " has been " pink slimed " in the media, particularly ABC News, which ran segments Wednesday, Thursday and Friday on the evening news. The ABC News segments have driven an enormous amount of social media coverage (and hysteria) in prominent blogs and Twitter. >> >> >> What is Lean Finely Textured Beef? >> >> Lean finely textured beef (LFTB) is beef that is a category of beef products that uses high technology food processing equipment to separate lean meat from fat trimmings. This process yields an additional 10-12 pounds of lean, nutritious beef from every beef animal that can be added to other ground beef products. It's being erroneously reported that this product is salvage meat, that it's from trimmings scooped off the floor of packing plants, that it's " filler " that is substandard in nutrition and safety and more. This is simply not true. >> >> >> Ammonium hydroxide is added to ground beef in this process to reduce the overall fat content without compromising flavor. It also has some degree of anti-microbial effect. Ammonium hydroxide is also used in a variety of other processed foods such as baked goods, gelatins and puddings, cheeses, and can occur naturally in foods. >> >> >> The Beef Industry Safety Summit was held last week with Dr. H. Cross, Professor and Head of Department of Animal Science, Texas A & M University, in attendance. Dr. Cross was the Administrator of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at the time of its approval. He feels strongly that this product and process is safe and a valuable source of nutrition at a time when we are faced with the growing challenge of producing more food with fewer resources. Below is a statement validating the safety and nutritional value of this product from Dr. Cross. >> >> >> In addition to the statement from Dr. Cross, here are some good resources to share: >> >> · Food Safety News article – A well-balanced Food Safety News article on lean finely textured ground beef >> >> · Pink Slime is a Myth Website - This website is by one of the companies who makes LFTB, Beef Products, Inc. (BPI). These BPI company videos describe the process in more detail (http://www.youtube.com/user/BeefProductsInc?ob=0 & feature=results_main) >> >> · Fact Sheet on Lean Finely Ground Beef as related to use in school lunch. >> >> · Engineering a Safer Burger -- This Washington Post article from 2008 explains the history of the product. >> >> · International Food Information Council fact sheet on ammonium hydroxide- In the BPI system, ammonium hydroxide is used the destroy bacteria (in another system, citric acid is used to destroy bacteria). This product is " generally recognized as safe " by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and it's used a variety of foods. The beef is not " soaked in ammonia " as many reports have claimed, but rather sprayed with a " hydrolyzed ammonia " mist to kill bacteria which then evaporates and completely dissipates. According to Dr. Cross, there is no ammonia in the final product. >> >> >> Here are some additional resources from the American Meat Institute: >> >> · AMI's media statement >> >> · MeatMythCrusher video >> >> · Question and Answers document >> >> >> In Summary >> >> · This product is nutritionally equal to ground beef. The process has been used safely for more than 20 years to yield an additional 10-12 lbs. of lean, nutritious beef, from every beef animal. >> >> · LFTB is produced under USDA inspection in compliance with their food safety and labeling requirements and they buy product that includes it as a component. >> >> · USDA ground beef samples testing positive for E. coli O157:H7 have been cut in half over the past ten years while beef produced using this technology has been used at the same time. >> >> · The product is beef and that's why it's not singled out on label as being anything other than beef (even though many media are calling it an " additive " ) >> >> >> Funded by The Beef Checkoff >> >> >> >> >> Statement From H. Cross, Ph.D. >> Professor and Head of Department of Animal Science, Texas A & M University >> >> " As Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) in the early 90s, I and my staff evaluated numerous research projects before approving lean, finely textured beef as a safe source of high-quality protein. The FSIS safety review process was and is an in-depth, science-based process that spans years, many research projects and involves many experts across all levels of the agency-and in this case, the process proved the product is safe. " >> >> " Approving lean finely textured beef as safe was the right decision, and today, it remains a safe way to meet the nutritional needs of a growing population. All beef is a good or excellent source of 10 essential nutrients including protein, iron, zinc and B-vitamins. >> >> " Finely textured lean beef helps us meet consumer demand for safe, affordable and nutritious food. " >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Degner >> >> Executive Director >> >> Iowa Beef Industry Council >> >> PO Box 451 >> >> Ames, IA 50010 >> >> >> >> www.iabeef.org >> >> >> >> >> >> New research shows that eating lean beef every day can be good for heart health by improving cholesterol levels. Learn about BOLD at www.beefnutrition.org. >> >> >> >> >> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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