Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Tuesday, April 03, 2012

26-Ingredient School Lunch Burger: What's Inside It, And The Battle Against Processed Foods

The school burger has gotten more than its share of the spotlight lately as parents set off a media firestorm in a rally to remove the controversial, ammonia-treated "lean finely textured beef," nicknamed "pink slime," from schools.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture responded, electing to scale back on a planned purchase of 7 million pounds of ground beef mixed with the processed beef filler. Schools now have the option to purchase either 95 percent lean beef patties made with the mixed product or fattier bulk ground beef without the controversial mix. But even as districts are rushing to assure parents that their school patties don't include the so-called "pink slime," heavily processed foods are still largely present in cafeterias, NPR reports.

Serving up a burger patty seems simple enough: A handful of ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and some spices if preferred. But in America's schools, a burger is no basic food, laden with dozens of ingredients ranging from thiamine mononitrate to pyridoxine hydrochloride.

More

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The whole pink slime issue exists only to further the environmentalists push to stop people from eating meat. The process has been used for years with no one complaining, and is used for other meats (chicken and pork) which will soon get the attention that the beef did as well. Not being able to fully use all the parts of an animal will drive prices up for all meats and thus make them harder for the average person to afford.

Anonymous said...

The problem is 4:33 that everyone thought they were eating fresh ground beef. It isn't labeled that there was this additive. It's the deception that's the problem with the food industry and it's not only meats.

lmclain said...

4:33....here's a clue --- the "average person" is ALREADY having a hard time affording meat. Ask your housekeeper or your accountant how much HAMBURGER or CHICKEN costs nowadays. You'll be shocked. Further, I wonder why CANCER is such a prevalent and pervasive killer? Chemicals, perhaps? Additives? Hormone and added antibiotics? Nahhhhh. Its just a coincidence. Yeah. THAT'S the ticket!!