• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

MAMAVATION

Mamavation | Healthy Living | Lifestyle | Detoxify Home | Product Recommendations

Mobile Menu

  • Start Here
    • Read This First
    • Product Investigations
    • About Leah Segedie
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    • Press Page
    • Advisory Panel
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts | Mamavation
    • Food | Mamavation
    • Beauty | Mamavation
    • Health | Mamavation
    • Environmental News
    • Product Investigations | Mamavation
    • Motherhood | Mamavation
    • Brand Essentials | Mamavation
    • DIY | Mamavation
    • Recipes | Mamavation
    • Activism | Mamavation
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Join
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Private Facebook Group
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Start Here
    • Read This First
    • Product Investigations
    • About Leah Segedie
    • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    • Press Page
    • Advisory Panel
    • Subscribe
    • Contact
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts | Mamavation
    • Food | Mamavation
    • Beauty | Mamavation
    • Health | Mamavation
    • Environmental News
    • Product Investigations | Mamavation
    • Motherhood | Mamavation
    • Brand Essentials | Mamavation
    • DIY | Mamavation
    • Recipes | Mamavation
    • Activism | Mamavation
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Join
    • Facebook Fan Page
    • Private Facebook Group
  • search

Pink Slime is Now Officially “Ground Beef” But Here’s How to Avoid It

Mamavation » Blog » Food | Mamavation » Pink Slime is Now Officially “Ground Beef” But Here’s How to Avoid It
Pink Slime is Now Officially "Ground Beef" But Here's How to Avoid It 2
production of ground beef

November 5, 2022 //  by Leah Segedie

Facebook0
Twitter0
Google+0
LinkedIn0
Pinterest0

It’s happening again! Do you remember “pink slime?” It’s back and with a vengeance, but this time the United States Department of Agriculture has reclassified the product once referred to as “pink slime” or “lean finely textured beef” as “ground beef.” So this means the next time you go to the grocery store to purchase ground beef, you could come home with pink slime instead. Would you like to avoid eating “pink slime?” We can help you! You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like bisphenol are linked to weight gain and how to avoid them, what do all the meat certifications mean, & 25 wellness books to read this year, now join us as we report on how you can avoid serving up pink slime in your kitchen, especially the lean beef trimmings.

pink slime is now renamed ground beef

Table of Contents

  • The Drama Behind “Pink Slime”
  • What is Pink Slime?
  • How Is This Going to Change My Food?
  • How to Avoid “Pink Slime” in Your Hamburger?
    •  Eat Organic or Grass-fed Certified
    • Pick Up Ground Beef From ButcherBox
    • Eat More Vegetarian Food

The Drama Behind “Pink Slime”

Beef Products Incorporated (BPI), the original manufacturer of “pink slime” ammonia treatment was investigated by blogger Bettina Segal from The Lunch Tray. She started a change.org petition that garnered thousands of signatures from the public upset that close to 70% of ground beef wasn’t labeled as “lean finely textured beef” as it should have been. In other words, this is a form of fraudulent labeling.

Later, the story was covered on ABC news. A public backlash quickly ensued which plummeted sales of “pink slime” after grocery stores pulled them from their shelves and millions of Americans started asking restaurants about their hamburger contents. BPI, owner of this new production process, closed several of its plants and laid off about 700 workers after the story hit. They were on the verge of bankruptcy.

BPI filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News in 2012. In 2017, the lawsuit resulted in a settlement of $177 million. Today, not only is BPI richer, but they are now allowed to sell their product to us as “ground beef.” That’s because the United State Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recently said that “finely textured beef” meets the “regulatory definition of ground beef” and can be labeled as such from now on.

It seems like “pink slime” from BPI’s plant has received reclassification.

“We approached USDA about the possibility of reclassifying our product,” said Nick Ross, BPI vice president of engineering. “It was an extensive review that took well over six months and included consumer reviews, nutritional panels, tours of the plant where agency folks could get a first-hand look at the process and understand what we are doing at BPI.”

pink slime is now renamed ground beef

What is Pink Slime?

“Pink slime” is a type of ground beef that has been treated with ammonia to keep bacteria or other pathogens like salmonella from forming. The process starts with cuttings and trim from cattle carcasses that are sliced up into little steaks and sent away to be turned into ground beef.

Ground beef can contain no more than 30% of fat, so the processing facilities have to treat them a bit to match the rules. First, the trimmings are heated to about 100° F, then put into a centrifuge to separate the fat tissue from the muscle tissue. Then the muscle tissue is treated with ammonia to keep bacteria from forming.

This entire process is now called “ground beef” even though it’s still technically “lean finely textured beef.”

pink slime is now renamed ground beef

How Is This Going to Change My Food?

If you are eating at a restaurant, this isn’t going to change much about what you are eating because restaurants never had to disclose they were using “pink slime” in the first place.

However, grocery stores were obligated to let you know if they were adding it to their beef, so now it doesn’t matter if you ask.

They don’t have to tell you. But there are other things you can do to ensure you are not eating a hamburger made of “pink slime.”

pink slime is now renamed ground beef

How to Avoid “Pink Slime” in Your Hamburger?

There are three choices in front of you to ensure that you are not eating ground beef treated with ammonia, aka “pink slime.”

 Eat Organic or Grass-fed Certified

The organic standard prohibits manufacturers from treating meat with ammonia to fight bacteria. Organic also doesn’t allow the use of dyes to keep the meat looking pinker longer. So picking up USDA certified organic meat is a safer option.

When it comes to grassfed meat, the USDA recently dropped all the grassfed claim standards. That means pretty much any company can make the claim of “grassfed” meat, even if the cow was only 1% grassfed. In other words, unless you are purchasing a cut of meat from a ranch that is certified grassfed from the American Grassfed Association (AGA) or Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO), you could be getting anything. In addition to that, your meat could also be labeled “made in the USA” without actually coming from the USA. I wish we were kidding, but the grassfed industry is a bit of a cash cow right now. Buyer beware!

ground beef for lifePick Up Ground Beef From ButcherBox

One company we know that produces 100% grassfed meat and doesn’t use ammonia to treat for bacteria is ButcherBox. This is a company that delivers grassfed meat, organic chicken, heritage pork & bacon, and wild-caught salmon from Alaska to your door. And today they have a special promotion that you can take advantage of! ButcherBox is offering 2 lbs. of ground beef FREE for life every time you order a box. This is available for a limited time only.

Eat More Vegetarian Food

Let’s face it. We could all probably use less meat, especially from places like McDonalds on Meatless Monday.

Conventional beef is not only problematic to your health, but it also contributes to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere through methane produced from the cow’s upset stomach. And it’s not cow farts like everyone says. It’s cow burps that are the problem.

Just like how we get gas and bloating from eating unhealthy food, the same is true of cows. According to scientists, methane is 86x more problematic to the ozone than carbon dioxide. It also takes years to break down. So when there are billions of cows burping at the same time, that methane is more problematic to the ozone than CO2, which is why conventional livestock are so problematic.

If you looking for vegan alternatives, you are in luck. There has been a 22% increase in vegan meat sales to $1.5 billion in 2018. In other words, there are plenty of selections today. Here are some of our favorites.

  • Dr. Praeger California Veggie Burger (10 lbs. worth!) 
  • Hilary’s Meatless Burger Pack
  • Gardenburger Organic Malibu Burger pack
  • Organic Sunshine Burgers

 

Recent Product Investigations

  • Grass-fed Beef Giveaway with Parker Pastures
  • Best (& Worst) Reusable Water Bottles — Stainless Steel & Glass
  • Best Non-Toxic Latex Mattresses — Avocado Lawsuit Explained
  • Best (& Worst) Non-Toxic Natural Leave In Conditioner
  • Glyphosate & Arsenic Detected Inside Oat Milk — Purchasing Guide for Popular Oat Milk Brands
Previous Post: «Burts Bees Makeup PFAS "Forever Chemical" Lab Results Burts Bees Makeup PFAS “Forever Chemical” Lab Results
Next Post: Best Natural & Organic Cat Food — 2022 Guide ginger cat looking very curious at you»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. fasi

    April 10, 2023 at 9:48 am

    nice

    Reply
  2. backrooms

    February 12, 2023 at 7:56 pm

    Can I use pork instead.

    Reply
  3. Estelle

    November 24, 2022 at 9:40 pm

    F.D.A IS CORRUPTED…CANNOT TRUST YOUR FOOD TO THEM .
    THEY APPROVE MANY ADDITIVES and chemicals which are harmful to the human body..when eaten regularly
    One is in our Fish which do not need any help from them..God made all our food and God added nothing to them
    Pay attention do your own homework

    Reply
  4. Edross

    November 14, 2022 at 8:56 pm

    Thanks for the info. I don’t agree that eating more vegetarian is the answer. But we should defiantly be making better food choices. Monocrops are not healthy either. Processed food should be avoided always. Vegan and vegetarian processed food is not better. That includes the bugs they want us to eat and the fake meat.

    Reply
  5. bill storm

    May 28, 2022 at 8:41 pm

    it’s 2022 – everyone should be watching the movie: “Soylent Green”

    Reply
    • Rae

      June 8, 2022 at 12:33 pm

      Agreed!…people need to wake up.

      Reply
    • Holly

      June 20, 2022 at 11:01 am

      Yes!

      Reply
  6. mike kane

    January 30, 2022 at 11:16 am

    i think fresh market and traders joes do not use pink slime–now around the country NO kosher store uses pink slime (probably never heard of that)–when it came out, harris teeter and giant of landover didn’t use it—do not know about publex or wegmans–however many of the stores have organic beef and some have kosher beef packaged—hope this helps–organic is almost everywhere—if the publics schools are closed on Rosh Hashana–more than likely a larger selection of kosher products

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      April 25, 2023 at 4:02 pm

      I think the biggest problem here is that they can now keep that claim and use it as it is now “ground beef”

      Reply
  7. Perry G

    June 3, 2021 at 1:44 am

    I”m becoming a non meat eater!!!!

    Reply
    • McKenzie Zauderer

      June 17, 2021 at 10:10 am

      Exactly! Even Butcher Box has worms in their fish, look it up! Nasty! The only way is to go cruelty free 🙂

      Reply
      • daniel donovan

        July 4, 2021 at 1:54 pm

        You’re so dumb. Eating vegetables is just as cruel, they just don’t scream as loudly. Don’t be such a human.

        Reply
    • Holly

      June 20, 2022 at 11:08 am

      NO – please watch Dr. Ken Berry on YouTube. The most nutritious food you can eat is beef liver. People don’t understand this and think they get everything from vegetables. They end up with malnutrition over time. This is just now starting to catch on while people learn more about the human body, keto, and carnivore eating. Those that go carnivore are quickly becoming the most healthy while vegans are wasting away. Sorry, years of frustration coming out there. You were probably kidding.

      Reply
      • Edross

        November 14, 2022 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks for this comment. People quoting fake science is annoying. Especially since the real science shows growing vegetables produce more green house gas than animals.

        Reply
      • Cora

        November 22, 2022 at 10:52 am

        Absolutely agree!

        Reply
  8. Susan

    April 11, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    I could swear I just read an article that said that if you buy 80/20% ground beef you won’t have to worry about pink slime, because they can’t or don’t put it in ground beef with that much fat. The “leaner” ground beef is the more likely culprit. So the very next time I went to the grocery store, planning to buy 80/20, what did they have? (–only–) 81/19% ground beef! Is this a ploy to get around a law?

    Reply
  9. Jeanette

    February 15, 2021 at 11:27 pm

    Anyone heard of…JOHNES/MAP? don’t pronounces the J in Johnes it should sound like a y.. yohnes.
    Ok.. humanpara.org explains it better than I could… Humans get it from livestock, an oral-fecal transmission. Australia, new Zealand and sweden banned any meat with it. Neither animals or humans may consume and they have programs by government with incentives to rid them of it. It’s a wasting disease of sorts. Very likely our gut issues stem from it since the gut is where they feed, breed and destroy. Their meat is labeled johnes free as each carcass is tested for it. The ones that don’t eat positive…get shipped to the USA where there are NO LAWS against selling it. That’s why…hamburger is so… Cheap! Look at cheap candy on the shelves and our burger meat is a fraction of the cost of let’s say zots. Per pound. Take away cheap burger.. and Americans will complain…
    So.. it’s all.around our packing houses as the carcasses with it go down same belts, etc. So don’t think that are steak is immune.

    When you are done digesting those facts.. contact your legislative folks and senators and ask them to file bills to stop the sale of meat for consumption with Johnes.. you don’t want Map…it’s the same pathogen…it made the leap from animals to humans… A scientific wonder.. full of endless symptoms with..no cure…

    Be aware and ask more questions.. it’s not just icky slime..it’s potentially in the whole carcass and all around it as it slithers through the whole packing process…

    Reply
    • Theresa

      April 14, 2021 at 8:20 pm

      Omg, that’s horrible!

      Reply
    • Zen

      March 13, 2023 at 11:39 am

      You are talking through your hat. Know nothing about the industry or animal welfare. These animals never make it to the line.

      Reply
  10. mike kane

    November 26, 2020 at 6:58 am

    is kosher ground beef pink slime free? and fresh market pink slime free?

    Reply
    • Leah Segedie

      December 3, 2020 at 10:13 am

      That’s a good question. I’ll have to look into that and get back to you!

      Reply
  11. Eddie

    November 13, 2020 at 7:54 am

    I for one do not want to eat pink slime. I am disappointed that the FDA has decided it can be called ground beef. I wonder if FDA management is on the dole? When I saw how it was manufactured I knew that it’s not for me. All I can say is find a butcher you can trust, we can’t trust our government.

    Reply
    • Estelle

      November 24, 2022 at 9:34 pm

      F.D.A IS CORRUPTED…CANNOT TRUST YOUR FOOD TO THEM .
      THEY APPROVE MANY ADDITIVES and chemicals which are harmful to the human body..when eaten regularly
      One is in our Fish which do not need any help from them..God made all our food and God added nothing to them
      Pay attention do your own homework

      Reply
  12. Vincent

    July 30, 2020 at 1:18 am

    Your sharing is very interesting, thank you very much.Street View Online

    Reply
  13. GoMovies

    March 6, 2020 at 1:52 am

    It would be great if I also had one.

    Reply
  14. Dan

    February 23, 2019 at 10:59 am

    When talking about chemical treatment, how can you recommend vegan alternatives? These overly processed products are full of dyes, nitrates and E###
    the only way to go is to do it your self. Buy a small meat mincer and gring the meat yoyr self

    Reply
  15. L Mc

    February 21, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    Can’t you pick out a roast at a butcher shop and have them grind it for you? That’s what my dad always did when I was growing up. I’m sure a local shop would still do that.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      March 4, 2019 at 7:00 pm

      Who cleaned the meat grinder from the last round of meat? How good was it cleaned? You do not know what goes on behind the wall.

      Reply
      • BBQ

        March 14, 2019 at 12:25 pm

        Have you ever been inside a butcher shop? They do it right in front of you and equipment gets cleaned with heated water and sanitizer every day.

        Reply
  16. Audrey

    February 21, 2019 at 7:57 am

    I buy right from the butcher!

    Reply
  17. Sherry

    February 20, 2019 at 6:27 pm

    I’ve also read that pink slime contains gluten and that they are not required to label it as a gluten product. Very disturbing for people who have celiac.

    Reply
    • bw1

      March 23, 2019 at 8:36 am

      Not true. There’s nothing in the process to introduce gluten. It’s just meat that would otherwise go to waste.
      Take off the tinfoil hat.

      Reply
      • rfclick

        April 18, 2020 at 8:21 am

        I would waste the hell out of it. Beef producer for 60 years! No ammonia or slime in my meats.

        Reply
        • Patty

          April 6, 2021 at 9:20 pm

          Saw your post. Do you have a business that guarantees no slime and I assume you ship. Can I get a contact number?

          Reply
  18. Bonnie

    February 20, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    I read that Omaha Steaks uses irradiation on their ground beef. Is that safe?

    Reply
    • bw1

      March 23, 2019 at 8:38 am

      Yes, it’s perfectly safe. It’s just another way to make doubly sure there’s no bacteria, although, with modern processing/handling methods, it’s a little overzealous

      Reply
  19. Ann parker

    February 20, 2019 at 9:20 am

    I buy a small roast and grind it in my food processor. I know my ground beef is not pink slime. It only takes a few minutes

    Reply
    • Leah Segedie

      February 20, 2019 at 9:30 am

      Good for you!

      Reply
    • Susan

      February 20, 2019 at 10:16 am

      I average a food processor I didn’t know it can do meat? What blade do I use? I have so many… I’ve never really learned how to use it!

      Reply
      • DB

        February 20, 2019 at 1:07 pm

        A food processor won’t do it. You will need a meat grinder or a grinder attachment for a stand mixer such as Kitchen Aid. Cut your meat into cubes and freeze slightly. Grind with the coarse blade first then run through again on the find blade. I grind my own pork all the time for homemade sausage.

        Reply
    • Rattlerjake

      February 20, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      BUT that doesn’t solve the problem of meat shipped in from out of country. It also doesn’t solve the problem with the hormones and antibiotics that many factory farms use to raise their livestock. The best solution is to find several families that are willing to share a quarter or side of beef, then go to a local farmer and work a deal. Even better if one or two of the families have a “hunter” who knows how and can butcher the side. Vacuum seal, and you’re good for 6-12 months.

      In my case, I raise chickens, turkeys, pigs, ducks, and sometimes rabbits, and when I need beef, I find a farmer who wants to trade!

      Reply
    • Michael

      February 21, 2019 at 7:23 am

      Awesome idea ????

      Reply
  20. Nan

    February 19, 2019 at 2:55 am

    Wow. Thank you for this information. I wasn’t worried that would ever eat pink slim, because I always buy organic, but was devastated to learn that anything could be called grass fed now. I???????????? I did not know that!! Thank you for keeping us informed.

    Reply
    • Leah Segedie

      February 19, 2019 at 7:21 pm

      Yes, grass-fed is very disappointing right now with marketing claims. So all the more important to know where your meat is coming from. Being helpful is my pleasure! XXOO

      Reply
    • Holly

      June 20, 2022 at 10:59 am

      Get grass-fed grass-finished.

      Reply
  21. Juliette

    February 18, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    Thank you for this article Mammavation. What our FDA gets away with is mind blowing and really angers me!

    Keep up your awesomeness :0)
    Best Regards,
    Juliette

    Reply
    • Leah Segedie

      February 18, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      Thank you for stopping by Juliette! I’ll keep on being useful! You keep being awesome! XXOO

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        May 24, 2020 at 12:00 pm

        Why do the taxpayers pay for a government department to take care of all this you’ve all heard it before and you’ll hear it again PEOPLE DON’T TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT

        Reply
    • bw1

      March 23, 2019 at 8:42 am

      There’s no reason for anger. Lean fine textured beef is effectively nothing more than ground beef made by hand.
      The treatment with ammonia GAS (let’s stop creating the false impression that our meat is soaking in Windex) is harmless.
      Your own body produces ammonia as part of your metabolic process. Let’s stop panicking out of scientific ignorance.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Jump On Board!

Get advance access to product investigations & discounts on non-toxic brands!

Success! You have joined the Mamavation community! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Footer

Mamavation

  • About Leah Segedie
  • Press Page
  • Affiliate Policies
  • Blogger Opportunities
  • How To Work With Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Book
  • Courses
  • Influencer Network
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 MAMAVATION · All Rights Reserved. | Powered by Essential IT