USDA rules that 'pink slime' can officially be called ground beef
February 17, 2019
Lean Finely Textured Beef, dubbed 'pink slime', has been officially classified as 'ground beef' by the USDA.
On December 21, 2018, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service reclassified the the controversial pink slime as simply ground beef.
Pink slime is a food additive made from beef trimmings exposed to ammonia gas that in 2012 was reported to be found in 70 per cent of American burgers.
When the news of the additive first broke in 2012, McDonald's pledged to stop using it and many campaigned against the substance, which led to a $1.9billion lawsuit against ABC News for reporting about South Dakota-based Beef Products Inc's beef.
'After reviewing the Beef Product Inc.'s (BPI) submission of a new product and new production process, FSIS determined that the product meets the regulatory definition of ground beef under the law in 9 CFR 319.15(a) and may be labeled accordingly,' a USDA spokesperson said in a statement to The Takeout.