In , USDA bought million pounds of ground beef that included 7. It is too early to determine the economic impact of USDA's announcement. Schools and school districts will make decisions this spring about ground beef purchases for the next school year. The decision to purchase only ground beef that does not include LFTB could raise the cost of ground beef purchases. The price that schools will ultimately pay depends on market prices and demand when buying decisions are finalized later this year.
Shortly after the onslaught of media attention, grocery retail chains began re-evaluating the use of LFTB in ground beef. In statements released to the press, the grocery stores that stopped carrying ground beef with LFTB stated that it was safe, but that their customers were demanding that it not be used in ground beef.
Since the initial announcements, Hy-Vee, a Midwestern grocery chain, revised its policy based on feedback from customers and decided to offer a choice of ground beef with and without LFTB. On March 26, , in response to decreased demand for LFTB, BPI announced that it would temporarily shut three of its four processing plants, laying off employees. BPI indicated that it would pay employees in the interim as the situation is sorted out.
Some cattle and beef analysts have argued that it would take an additional 1. AFA Foods has five facilities and the capacity to process million pounds of ground beef annually. The primary reason is that the U. With the small cattle herd, beef prices have been high and continue to increase. Higher beef prices are expected to persist, as it will take a couple of years before the U. Beef analysts believe the decisions made by many retailers to halt the use of LFTB will result in even higher prices, especially in the near term, as seasonal demand for ground beef increases heading into the summer months.
According to Oklahoma State University's Dr. Derrell Peel, the impact of the use of LFTB can be demonstrated with two different formulations of lean ground beef. Another likely effect is that more beef will be imported from Australia and New Zealand to supplement the tight domestic supplies of lean beef.
The LFTB decisions are also showing up on the beef packers' bottom line. Ultimately, cattle producers will be paid less for their cattle as feedlots offer less money for feeder cattle placed on feed.
Adding the LFTB claim label would be voluntary. USDA will certify that the labels are correct. LFTB would not be included in the required ingredient label.
While ground beef is a single ingredient product beef and lean finely textured beef therefore is not required to be listed separately on any label, we believe USDA's decision to allow companies to voluntarily include information on their label regarding LFTB content will be an important first step in restoring consumer confidence in their ground beef.
Based upon the numerous taste panel studies conducted using BPI's lean beef and strong consumer preference for ground beef that contains our LFTB, we feel this development will allow more customers to provide options to consumers and pave the way for BPI's lean beef to reestablish its place in the market.
Generally, the safety of the product has not been questioned, although many of the stories imply there may be a food safety issue with LFTB. As reported in an online blog on food safety, Dr. James Marsden, a food safety expert from Kansas State University, noted as the controversy was unfolding early on that:. There are all kinds of ingredients in food products that can be falsely characterized as unappetizing when viewed out of context. When lay persons see the processes of cheese manufacturing, wine making and the production of the most high quality gourmet processed meats, some of the stages in the process are less than appetizing.
I think the criticism of BPI's products are based on quality perceptions, not food safety. BPI has been recognized for its innovation in food safety through extensive testing for E. BPI also was an early adopter of the "test and hold" policy, whereby all of its product is withheld from commerce until pathogen test results are confirmed negative. Some food safety advocates who have defended the use of LFTB have expressed concern that the outcry over "pink slime" could have a detrimental effect on food safety, as the barrage of publicity could stifle further innovation.
There has been a lot of misinformation swirling around the Internet and on TV about lean beef trim produced by Beef Products, Inc. As I stated earlier, I have personally visited their plant and the categorization of calling their product "pink slime" is completely false and incendiary. The method that we use, it really is arguably the most sustainable method that there is.
Craig Letch, director of sales and marketing, said the company now has flexibility to develop product innovations. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience.
By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Home » LFTB to be classified as ground beef. CDC links E. LFTB is simply beef that has been separated from the fat in beef trimmings.
Trimmings are chunks of meat that result when large carcasses are broken down into steaks, roasts and other cuts. Does Burger King use pink slime? Does Taco Bell use pink slime in their meat?
And most recently, the decision by Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King to stop use of the industry named "pink slime. What stores use pink slime in meat? These are among the stores that sell store-ground meat with pink slime, according to The Daily: Target.
Zaycon Foods. What is pink slime in a hot dog? Pink slime, aka Lean, Finely Textured Beef LFTB , is used as filler in some frozen entrees, meatballs, canned foods, hot dogs and fast food, for example. But LFTB has become most notorious for its role in ground beef. Before LFTB, fat trimmings left over after meat processing were scrapped, or used in dog food or oil. Does McDonald's use meat fillers? First, McDonald's says it no longer uses the "meat filler" in question.
There are no preservatives, no fillers, no extenders and no so-called 'pink slime' in our beef. Is Taco Bell meat real beef?
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