Pink Slime For School Lunch

   "Lean beef trimmings" is the official term for the seven million pounds of pink slime the U.S. Department of Agriculture just purchased for our childrens' school lunches according to The Huffington Post.  The article was written on March 5, 2012, and it goes into detail about how this meat is treated and processed.  According to the article, "the product is a ground-up combination of beef scraps, cow connective tissues and other beef trimmings that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to kill pathogens like salmonella and E. coli."  Perhaps to help the parents feel better, it is then mixed with ground beef and hamburger patties.  This pink slime the government is using for the school lunches was rejected by Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King.

   Microbiologist, Carl Custer, argues that the pink slime is not real meat, as it uses connective tissues instead of muscle when it is processed.  He worked at the Food Safety Inspection Service for thirty-five years, yet the USDA claims the beef meets its high standard for food safety.  People are meant to believe this meat is safe, but it is made with ammonium hydroxide which can turn into ammonium nitrate.  This component is used to make homemade bombs, cleaning agents and fertilizers.  Although the meat is treated to kill salmonella and E. coli, there have been several cases of both pathogens found in the "lean beef trimmings" throughout the years.

   What is most bothersome is that this purchase of meat comes only weeks after the government announced new guidelines for school lunches.  They claim to be implementing more whole grains and produce into the lunches while discarding high sodium / fat foods.

   There is a large number of schools in California fighting these issues by bringing in professionals to show the schools' cooks how to make healthier lunches for the children, and I believe this should be something done in every state.

   I have no doubt this article was written to inform parents of what is going on, and I agree with the distressing horror the author displays in the facts.