McDonald's: No More 'Pink Slime' in Burgers

Pink Slime: McDonald's Swears Off Freaky Burger Additive

McDonald's is making a welcome menu change: the real-estate/fast food giant is eliminating "pink slime" ( spare beef trimmings treated with ammonium hydroxide) from its burger-making process.

Pink slime (which is actually USDA-approved) is an additive that supposedly makes the burgers taste better. Celebrity chef and school-meal activist Jamie Oliver coined the term "pink slime" in describing the substance, which is, well, pink and slimy.

Even within the USDA there is dissent on whether pink slime is fit for human consumption. USDA microbiologist Geral Zernstein said, "I do not consider the stuff to be ground beef, and I consider allowing it in ground beef to be a form of fraudulent labeling."

Note that McDonald's is not the only place you'll find pink slime: try your local grocery store. Yes, pink slime is present in roughly 70% of ground beef found in the US.

No word from McDonald's on the use of "mechanically-separated chicken" (i.e. chicken forced through a sieve at tremendous pressure, resulting in a pinkish toothpaste which is then fried) in its McNuggets.

Mechanically separated beef has been banned for human consumption since 2004 due to the risk of Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, aka "Mad Cow Disease".

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sourced by NowPublic Staff