Pink Slime, also called lean finely textured beef (LFTB) or boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT), has been around for a long time before the public heard about it.

The term was coined in 2002 by Gerald Zirnstein, a former USDA scientist, in an internal email. In 2009, when the New York Times published an article about the fast food industry, and later in an article in the newspaper, the name was released and the controversy started. Consumers are asking questions about how food is being made, what they are eating, and what exactly is on the food labels.

The key debate is the use of ammonia in processing foods. LFTB is made from the leftover meat trimmings that would otherwise be discarded, separated from the fat with a centrifuge and sprayed with ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria. Because this is a part of the process, not part of the final product, the use of ammonia hydroxide does not need to be printed on the labels.

In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined in 1974 that ammonia in foods was not harmful. It is on their list of foods “Generally Recognized as Safe,” defined as not problematic for human consumption in the amounts they are currently used in. Most consumers associate ammonia with the cleaning product.

Beef Products, Inc. has received so much criticism for ammonium hydroxide that three out of four of their processing plants closed. The lesser demand shows that consumers are worried about their food, but big business does not agree. The company received the Black Pearl Award in 2007 for, among other things, advancing food safety.

In 2004, the company was honored the Food Quality Award, which recognizes product safety in relation to a positive impact on business results. Beef Products, Inc also published a list of foods that contain ammonia on their website. The compound turns up naturally in some dairy products, such as milk. It is used in cheeses to take away some acidity, found in baked goods, gelatins, chocolate, caramels, and puddings.

Other companies are being called forward as well, such as the Hershey chocolate company, Kellogg, and ConAgra, producer of Wonder Bread and Chef Boyardee. Kraft Foods admits to using ammonia compounds in some of their products, though the company will not say which ones.

Pink slime has some benefits. The beef industry employs thousands of workers. LFTB may actually be safer than regular ground beef because of the way it is treated, which removes bacteria, as opposed to untreated beef, which has caused outbreaks of mad cow disease, e. coli and salmonella. Pink slime makes beef cheaper, available to all families struggling with income, and leaner, containing less fat.

Many experts agree that without the name “pink slime,” the scare would not be so huge. Yet, the fact is, worse practices are being conducted in the beef and poultry industries that consumers don’t know about. The pink slime debate is just the tip of the iceberg.

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The Just Label It (JLI) Campaign announced that a record-breaking one million Americans of all political persuasions have called on the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) foods. The campaign also announced a new national survey revealing that Americans across the political spectrum stand united in support of labeling food that has been genetically engineered. This is a striking contrast to the partisan divisions plaguing our political system.

“Pink slime, deadly melons, tainted turkeys, and BPA in our soup have put us all on notice that what we eat and feed our families is critically important,” said Ken Cook, President of the Environmental Working Group. “Americans overwhelmingly demand safety, transparency and labeling of genetically engineered foods. It’s time for the FDA to come clean and restore public confidence in our food system.”

Since October, JLI, the national campaign to require GE-food labeling and its more than 500 partner organizations have spearheaded an historic number of public comments for a GE-foods labeling petition. March 27, 2012 is the date when the FDA was required to respond to the petition. It took less than 180 days to accumulate the record number of comments.

“In recent years, Americans have shown a real interest in knowing more about our food and now there is a clear mandate for the labeling of genetically engineered foods. This petition asks the FDA to stand up for the rights of average Americans, and not just a handful of powerful chemical companies.

It’s time for the FDA to give Americans the same rights held by citizens in forty nations, including all of our major trade partners, to know whether our foods have been genetically modified. The FDA needs to restore confidence in our food and our right to know about the food we eat and feed our families,” said Gary Hirshberg, chairman of Stonyfield.

New Survey Results: Motherhood, Apple Pie and GE Food Labeling Consumer support for GE-foods labeling in the U.S. is nearly unanimous, according to the political opinion survey on GE food labeling conducted by The Mellman Group on behalf of JLI.

“Few topics other than motherhood and apple pie can muster over 90%support, but labeling GE-foods is one of those few views held almost unanimously,” explained pollster Mark Mellman. The survey found nearly all Democrats (93% favor, 2% oppose), Independents (90% favor, 5% oppose) and Republicans (89% favor, 5% oppose) in favor of labeling. The study also revealed that support for labeling is robust and arguments against it have little sway.

Colorado mother and author Robyn O’Brien, who founded the AllergyKids Foundation after one of her children had an allergic reaction to breakfast, said: “Americans are responding to the call for GE foods labeling because they want more information for their families.

Like allergen labeling, GE-food labels would provide essential and possibly life-saving information for anyone with a food allergy. Being responsible for the health and safety of my children, I believe it’s my right to know about the food I feed my family…from allergens, to ‘pink slime’ to GE foods.”

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