Pink slime - must be something out of a horror flick, right? I can see it now, chasing me as I run across the field, a big blob of pink rolling after me, as I scream hysterically and watch in horror as it gobbles up my basset hound.
Pink slime is at the top of the search engines this week. It's the new cry of "fire" in the crowded movie theater!
From my former elementary teacher, friend, and huge beef advocate, Jo Stanko - "Mark Twain said, "If you don't read the paper, you're uninformed; if you
do read the paper, you're misinformed." This seems to apply to modern
forms of media also. It seems "investigative reporter" doesn't mean
that the reporter actually investigates but just repeats what he/she has heard."
This week’s media fire is blazing with pink slime bites, after ABC
News’ March 7th investigative report on the use of the beef filler. According
to their report, the low-grade beef product, dubbed pink slime, is present in
70 percent of ground beef sold at supermarkets. Actually, that's a possibility. It's the term pink slime that is the problem, and the misinformation that is coming along with it.
According to a former USDA employer, it's going to kill us all.
“Not only is this product a potential source of killer pathogens if the
ammonia levels are not controlled properly, but that the overall protein
quality of the beef hamburger is compromised by the inclusion of LFTB,” former
US Department of Agriculture microbiologist Gerald Zirnstein said.
Zirnstein, who worked in the agency’s Food Safety and Inspection
Service, coined the term “pink slime” after touring a BPI production plant. (LFTB = lean, finely textured beef)
Beef Products Inc. (BPI), is doing their best to counter the wave of
pink slime hysteria, pointing out that it is used in a number of products,
including baked goods, cheeses, gelatins, chocolate, caramels, and puddings to
slightly increase the pH level to improve a product's safety.
BPI pointed that they produce lean beef from trim or
the meat and fat that is trimmed away when beef is cut into steaks and roasts. LFTB, which includes ammonium hydroxide,
dubbed pink slime, is used in hamburger, sausage, and ground beef.
According to reports, the federal government plans to buy ground beef
that contains 7 million pounds of the product in the coming year.
“Including LFTB in the national school lunch program’s beef products
accomplishes three important goals on behalf of 32 million kids,” BPI spokesman
Rich Jochum said. “It 1) improves the nutritional profile, 2) increases the
safety of the products and 3) meets the budget parameters that allow the school
lunch program to feed kids nationwide every day.”
Critics claim BPI has made millions off “pink
slime” over the past decade, and that its safety and nutritional claims are
lacking. How dare them make millions - on anything! That's just down right criminal. On a side note, it's my understanding that this product not only helps utilize more of a carcass, it also helps keep the price of a pound of hamburger down. I know, if BPI wasn't hogging all the money, we would all be rich and we wouldn't need to buy "cheap" meat. Right? And our schools would be rolling in the dough, and our kids could have choice steaks for lunch. And we could just toss out those trimmings to all the "free range" dogs that will be roaming the neighborhoods when HSUS has their way.
But all sarcasm aside ... let's look at some facts that Jo found for us at Foodinsight.org....
Questions and Answers about
Ammonium Hydroxide Use in Food Production
Q: What is ammonium hydroxide?
A: Ammonium hydroxide is ammonia combined with water. Ammonia (NH3) is
a compound consisting of nitrogen and hydrogen. Both ammonia and ammonium
hydroxide are very common compounds, found naturally in the environment (in
air, water, and soil) and in all plants and animals, including humans. Ammonia
is a source of nitrogen, an essential element for plants and animals. Ammonia
is also produced by the human body – by our organs and tissues and by
beneficial bacteria living in our intestines.
Ammonia plays an important role in protein synthesis in the human body.
In brief summary, all living things need proteins, which are comprised of some
20 different amino acids. While plants and microorganisms can synthesize most
amino acids from the nitrogen in the atmosphere, animals cannot. For humans,
some amino acids cannot be synthesized at all and must be consumed as intact
amino acids. Other amino acids, however, can be synthesized by microorganisms
in the gastrointestinal tract with the help of ammonia ions. Thus, ammonia is a
key player in the nitrogen cycle and in protein synthesis. Ammonia also helps
maintain the body’s pH balance.
Q: How is it used in food processing?
A: Ammonium hydroxide and other ammonia-containing compounds are used
extensively in food processing. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations
affirm ammonium hydroxide as safe (“generally recognized as safe” or GRAS) for
use as a leavening agent, a pH control agent, and a surface-finishing agent in
food with no limitation other than current good manufacturing practice. 21
C.F.R. § 184.1139. See also National Academy of Sciences, Food Chemicals Codex,
5th Ed. (2004), p. 24.
Q: Has FDA determined that use of ammonium hydroxide in food processing
is safe?
A: Yes. FDA affirmed ammonium hydroxide as GRAS in 1974 after extensive
review of the scientific literature and a rulemaking process. Ammonium
hydroxide was one of 235 substances that were subjected to a full safety review
by the Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS), an independent committee of
the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) that
reported its findings to FDA. The SCOGS report to FDA concluded that:
“Ammonia and the ammonium ion are integral components of normal
metabolic processes and play an essential role in the physiology of man…. the
Select Committee concludes that: There is no evidence in the available
information on…. ammonium hydroxide….. that demonstrates, or suggests
reasonable grounds to suspect, a hazard to the public when [it is] used at
levels that are now current or that might reasonably be expected in the future.”
Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Review, Report No. 34, 1974.
GRAS status means that a substance is generally recognized, among
experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate their
safety, as safe for its intended use. See generally 21 C.F.R. § 170.30.
Ammonium hydroxide is also recognized as safe by other countries’ and
international food safety agencies. The Joint Expert Committee on Food
Additives (JECFA) of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
World Health Organization (WHO) also recognizes ammonium hydroxide as safe for
use in a wide variety of foods. Ammonium hydroxide is approved for use in food
in most countries including the European Union.
Q: In what foods is ammonium hydroxide used in processing?
A: The list of foods in which ammonium hydroxide is used as a direct
food additive is extensive and includes baked goods, cheeses, chocolates, other
confectionery (e.g., caramel), and puddings. Ammonium hydroxide is also used as
an antimicrobial agent in meat products.
Ammonia in other forms (e.g., ammonium sulfate, ammonium alginate) is
used in condiments, relishes, soy protein concentrates/isolates, snack foods,
jams and jellies, and non-alcoholic beverages.
The World Health Organization has listed hundreds of food types that
may be processed using ammonium hydroxide when used in accordance with good
manufacturing practices. These include dairy products, confections, fruits and
vegetables, baked goods, breakfast cereals, eggs, fish, beverages such as
sports drinks and beer, and meats.
Q: If ammonia is safe, why do I think of it as a harmful chemical?
A: Probably because ammonia is also used as a sanitizer in many
household and industrial cleaners. Although necessary for life, too much
ammonia is harmful. Ammonia vapor at levels higher than those found in common
household cleaners is an irritant to the eyes, mucous membranes, and lungs. Consuming
ammonia orally can cause burns to the mouth, throat, and stomach. Theoretically,
it is possible to estimate a lethal oral dose of ammonia based on animal
studies, but the amount would be so high that ingestion would be inconceivable.
Ammonia has a strong odor and taste, so amounts that would be harmful are
unpalatable and highly unlikely to be ingested.
Q: Is ammonium hydroxide in food processing a safe substance?
A: Yes, provided it is used in accordance with good manufacturing
practices (e.g., only food grade ammonium hydroxide is used). It has been used
safely for decades. As noted above, FDA affirmed ammonium hydroxide as GRAS
after extensive study back in 1974, and it had been used in food processing
long before that date.
Q: How does it work to kill pathogens in meat?
A: Many food pathogens, including dangerous forms of E. coli can be
found in the intestines of cattle. They are able to survive and grow in the
high acid tissues of animals. Ammonium hydroxide and other compounds can damage
these organisms and lower the acidity of meats and other foods, making it
difficult for these pathogens to survive.
Q: What about use of ammonium hydroxide in meat products?
A:
Ammonium hydroxide can be used as an antimicrobial to control pathogens, such
as E. coli O157:H7, which may be present in beef. In the treatment, naturally
occurring levels of ammonium hydroxide in beef are increased slightly to create
a pH that eliminates harmful bacteria. The U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA), after consultation with FDA, has determined that this use of ammonium
hydroxide is safe. [FSIS Directive 7,120.1 Attachment (Substances accepted by
FSIS as safe and suitable for use in the production of meat and poultry
products)].
