I've been hearing a lot lately in the news about "pink slime" and am pretty disgusted by the whole thing. I know it's supposedly completely safe and completely beef, but the thought of yet more chemicals added to our lives is not a happy thought. Especially when those chemicals are passed on to our children in school lunches. (Yet another reason to send my daughter to school with safe, healthful food!) And yet, it is said that these chemicals are what make the meat safer than traditional beef.
Surprisingly--or not--this is a complicated issue. Here is a great article for those who are interested in learning more about this dilemma. For example, "[Pink slime] solves an enormous problem for meat producers. Only about half the weight of the 34 million cattle slaughtered each year is considered fit for human consumption. The rest has to be burned, buried in landfills, or sold cheaply for fertilizer or pet food. LFTB recovers 10 to 12 pounds of edible lean beef from every animal and is said to save another 1.5 million animals from slaughter."
Ugh.
At least this stuff is going to have to be labeled so everyone can make the choice for themselves. But my resolve to find fresh, safe beef locally continues to be strengthened...
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