Is There Pink Slime in Your Grocery Store Ground Beef?

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I wrote about “Pink Slime” and the fact that it is used in school lunches a few weeks back in my They Serve WHAT in School Lunches article, and I know that many of you were just as disgusted by this information. Unfortunately, according to this ABC report, 70% off all supermarket ground beefs contains pink slime, or “finely textured lean beef”.

What is Pink Slime?

Connective tissue and beef scraps that are normally used in dog food and rendering is treated with ammonia to kill germs. The pink, gel-type product that is created is pink slime. Check out this video for more information on it:

What Grocery Stores Allow Pink Slime Ground Beef?

NOT Allowed:
The good news is that some stores like Costco, Whole Foods, H-E-B, Ingles and Publix have stated that they do not allow LFTB (pink slime) in their ground beef.

Update 3/20/12 –

Safeway and Albertson’s LLC has announced that they will no longer allow LTTB, aka pink slime. Albertson’s LLC operates in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas.
Thanks to reader Melody to letting us know that Marsh in IN and OH does not contain it either.

Update 3/22/12 –

Kroger (Fry’s) announced it will no longer purchase ground beef with pink slime!
Thanks to reader Valerie for letting us know that United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos in TX does not have beef with pink slime.

Allowed:
Unfortunately, several popular chains do use it, including Stop & Shop/Giant, Walmart and Zaycon Foods

If you do not see your grocery store here and want to know if they allow pink slime,or “Finely Textured Lean Beef” in their ground beef, ask to speak with a manager in charge of the meat department to inquire about the issue.

Unfortunately, meat packers do not need to label if pink slime is added to their product because it is considered “meat”, so unless we know the store policies, we have no way of knowing if the meat contains pink slime or not. My thoughts – if a store is not explicitly stating that they do NOT allow it, they probably do.

How To Keep Pink Slime Away From Your Family

One way to ensure that you are getting meat without ammonia is to buy meat labeled as USDA Organic since that is pure meat and contains no fillers.

You may also want to look for local rancher or meat market to buy your beef. They may be able to grind it, or you can grind it yourself with a meat grinder. You’ll be able to ask them directly about the beef they sell. Another option is to buy bison meat, which is actually higher in protein and lower in cholesterol. This can be a pricey option, however, if you are buying less meat in general and for the health benefits, it is worth it.

You can also check out Jamie Oliver’s new website StopPinkSlime to sign a petition and help spread the word about getting pink slime out of our ground beef.

Credit to: ABC News & Huffingtonpost

Do your stores use pink slime in their beef? Will this change the way you shop?

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Miniren24

All I have to say is I am so glad we only eat Elk, we even grind some into hamburger (Elk Burger). So Nasty they are allowed to put that junk in the meat.
Miniren24

All I have to say is I am so glad we only eat Elk, we even grind some into hamburger (Elk Burger). So Nasty they are allowed to put that junk in the meat.
Mindidishman

Fred Meyer is in the Kroger family.

I shop at Kroger, and you can tell the difference between store ground and prepackaged ground beef. The look is different, as are the labels. Since they’ve started this practice I’ve begun purchasing only from the counter and it’s all ground at the store (no slime)
Mindidishman

Fred Meyer is in the Kroger family.

I shop at Kroger, and you can tell the difference between store ground and prepackaged ground beef. The look is different, as are the labels. Since they’ve started this practice I’ve begun purchasing only from the counter and it’s all ground at the store (no slime)
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

Hi Mindi – just be careful, even meat ground at the store can contain slime, because they add it in themselves. You can hear more on this here: http://www.stoppinkslime.org/ (also linked above). If Fred Meyer is allowing pink slime in some meat, it is probably in all – except for the organic meat.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

I agree!
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

Hi Mindi – just be careful, even meat ground at the store can contain slime, because they add it in themselves. You can hear more on this here: http://www.stoppinkslime.org/ (also linked above). If Fred Meyer is allowing pink slime in some meat, it is probably in all – except for the organic meat.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

I agree!
Marissa

Thanks for posting the video, I shared this one and the one from Jamie Oliver’s site on my facebook to spread the word more. I only buy meat from Whole Foods and the farmers’ market, and I personally will only consume grass-fed beef. But I think if we all stand together, one day we can all have access to safe, healthy, and affordable food.
Marissa

Thanks for posting the video, I shared this one and the one from Jamie Oliver’s site on my facebook to spread the word more. I only buy meat from Whole Foods and the farmers’ market, and I personally will only consume grass-fed beef. But I think if we all stand together, one day we can all have access to safe, healthy, and affordable food.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

I completely agree with you, Marissa (although we also buy organic from Costco, too). Well said – thank you for spreading the information and helping to inform people.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

I completely agree with you, Marissa (although we also buy organic from Costco, too). Well said – thank you for spreading the information and helping to inform people.
Mldoyle

Is the pink slim issue only in ground beef? What about ground turkey or ground chicken?
Mldoyle

Is the pink slim issue only in ground beef? What about ground turkey or ground chicken?
Jdean

Cannot afford organic beef here to feed my large family. I count on Costco’s quality. Very disgusted with this.
Jdean

Cannot afford organic beef here to feed my large family. I count on Costco’s quality. Very disgusted with this.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

Well, chickens and turkeys are rinsed in ammonia anyhow, which is pretty disgusting :( Not completely sure about ground meat yet though. Personally, I only buy organic chicken/turkey to stay away from hormones and the ammonia.
http://www.savingcentswithsense.net/ Melissa Hurst

Well, chickens and turkeys are rinsed in ammonia anyhow, which is pretty disgusting :( Not completely sure about ground meat yet though. Personally, I only buy organic chicken/turkey to stay away from hormones and the ammonia.
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kmama

I certainly hope that all this is factual and not frenzied inaccurate hype of the media and carried by innocents as fact.
FYI: Our city and others have been SEVERELY negatively affected by this smear campaign, because these plants went out of business. Many families in our church alone, affected.
Twenty plus years of employment gone for some; wives, husbands, mothers & fathers out of work. I would suggest we ALL learn from this – do your OWN homework, don’t rely on hearsay or the internet alone from anybody.
No wonder the prices of all the foods are through the roof – we’re putting companies out of business and seem to be proud of it. Sad day.
BE absolutely sure about anything of this nature before we post. Like a dandelion, blown free of all its seeds, even if something disproved, the seeds can never be retrieved.
Humbly,
http://www.facebook.com/melissa.odom Melissa Woodger Odom

So happy that the ground beef I have been buying for some time now is from Publix. I really didn’t want to get all grossed out :)