Lean Finely Manufactured Beef Research Paper
Lean Finely Textured Beef, is it Safe?
V. Kastner
Abstract
This paper is supportive of the filler product Lean Finely Textured Beef. It is a safe product and is beef. It explains what is it and the process used to make it. It will also explain what ammonium hydroxide is and what it does for our food safety. Everyone should be concerned about what is added to our food supply and the processes that are used in making food products. The labeling of Lean Finely Texture Beef is not required by the USDA because the USDA has stated LFTB is beef. However the beef industry has taken a proactive stand and now labels the ground beef that has LFTB blended in so that the consumer can choose for themselves to buy it or not. The consumer wants to have the confidence that the food supply is safe and know what they are buying. Enough though labeling is not required …show more content…
the beef industry is doing the right thing by labeling it so the consumer can easily see what they are buying.
In March 2012, Jim Avial a reporter for ABC News aired a story on Lean Finely Textured Beef. He referred to Lean Finely Textured Beef as “pink slime” to describe the beef product. This caused a panic among consumer about what is was and is it safe or not. Most consumers did not understand what is was and how it was processed. There are many misconceptions about the filler and the process used to make the product. The negative publicity has lead consumers to believe the product is not beef and not safe, but if you research the product you will have a difficult time finding any evidence to support the claim that is it not beef and it is not safe. LFTB is a safe and is 100% beef. Lean finely textured beef is just that, beef. The website www.beefisbeef.com is sponsored by BPI, Inc. and on this website you can find the following information explaining what is it and how it is produced. Beef trimming are left from over from the processing of beef cattle and the trimming has lean meat remaining in them. A process was designed to remove the fat from the beef, which creates LFTB that is 94% to 97% lean (Entis, 2012). The beef trimming are sent through machines that separate to remove anything that is not pure beef trimming. Then the pure beef trimmings are warmed to 105 degrees and run through a centrifuge to separate the fat from the lean meat. The LFTB is also hit with a small puff of ammonium hydroxide which is an antimicrobial agent that kills E.coli and salmonella bacteria’s. Then the LFTB is frozen and packaged. All LFBT is USDA inspected and regulated before it is released to be added to fresh ground. LFTB is not a stand lone product; it is blended in with fresh ground beef as filler. Its consistency is like jello and the color is light pink. The LFTB on its own in not an appetizing picture by itself, the filler is adding to extend the beef the supply. LFTB is used in more products besides ground beef. It is also used in low-fat hotdogs, lunch meat, pepperoni, some frozen entrees and canned food (Bloomgarden-Smoke, 2012). The picture is what LFTB looks like as it stands alone.
In the process of making Lean Finely Textured Beef they hit the product with ammonium hydroxide to raise the ph. level to kill E.coli and salmonella bacteria’s that maybe present. They use a very little amount in the form of a puff gas. Some believe the ammonium hydroxide is added to the LFTB during the production process, but it is not (Entis, 2012). The safety of ammonium hydroxide was reviewed in 1974 by the US Food and Drug Administration and has been used as an antimicrobial agent in meat since then (Entis, 2012). Ammonium is a colorless gas that is readily soluble in water. It is one part nitrogen to three parts hydrogen. Ammonium hydroxide has many other forms that are used in numerous processing of other foods. Cheese, puddings, chocolate and baked goods are a few examples. Those that believe the this process is an additive want it included on the labels of ground beef, but the USDA does not require it because it is an agent and not an additive. It is one of several agents used that the USDA does not require labeling disclosure that can be used on beef and poultry (Entis, 2012). Nothing is added to the ground beef; it is just treated with the agent there for it is not an ingredient and does not have to be on the label. Another interest fact about ammonia is that it is formed naturally in our bodies and in animals. The bacteria that live in our intestines form ammonia as it digests the proteins that we eat (Entis, 2012). The ammonia is carried into the blood as ammonium hydroxide, into the liver and converts to urea which exits the body. It is normal to find ammonium hydroxide in meat in low levels (Entis, 2012). It is a natural part of the ph. balance of the digestive system in all living animals and people.
This media storm also created another discussion about what Lean Finely Textured Beef does or does not do to the ground beef supply to make it safer. LFTB is mixed with beef at a 15% ratio to make higher-fat ground beef leaner, (Avila, 2012). When it is blended does it help to kill pathogens in the ground beef it’s added too? According to Bill Marler, a noted food safety attorney claims there is no real evidence to prove this claim, (Avila, 2012). Beef Products, Inc. is one of the major producers of LBTB and is owned by Eldon Roth claims that using LFTB makes the ground beef safer. Eldon Roth was quoted telling his supporters; “If your grocer doesn’t have out product in their ground beef, they don’t have the safest ground beef they could have” (Avila, 2012). Later when the question was raised again the Director of quality assurance of BPI, Craig Letch said, “We cannot say that” (Avila, 2012). LFTB is a safe and is beef but when it is blended into contaminated ground beef there is not enough added to make the claim that it would make the supply safer. A student, Courtney Moon, a University of Arkansas student conducted a research product on Lean Finely Textured Beef which Brett Krzykowski states in his document, “Her research project revealed ground beef mixtures containing as much as 20% LFTB reduced spoilage, increased tenderness and gave the product a fresher color.”
The USDA has affirmed LFTB to be safe and encourages all consumers to review the science-based information on the products safety and quality (USDA, 2012). LFTB is recognized as 100% beef by the USDA and FDA and that there is no need for labeling because nothing is added to the product other than beef (Cross, 2012). Along with this question of labeling LFTB came the same question about ammonium hydroxide to which again the USDA and FDA do not require labeling because it is not an additive, it is a processing aid (Cross, 2012). The beef industry now labels it products which contains LFTB, even though the USDA does not require it. They do this so that consumers know what they are buying and can make the choice for themselves. The well informed consumer only cares that the product is safe and economically priced. Without the filler to extend the beef supply the cost will definitely be higher for ground beef and other meat products as well.
The USDA is also giving the schools the choice of using ground beef with LFTB or without due the request of school district across the country. The national nutritional guidelines are set by the USDA for school meal but only about 20% of the food for the National School Lunch Program is purchased through the USDA. The goal of the USDA is to only purchase food that is safe, nutritious and affordable for the program. They require very rigorous pathogen testing and the tests are evaluated continuously by food safety experts to ensure quality and safety requirements are met (USDA, 2012). The USDA has very strict rules on the food safety standards for anything they purchase for the school program.
Large retailers pulled the ground beef with the filler LFTB from their shelves. Hy-Vee was one of those retailers however they reversed their decision after their customers demand they have a choice. (Jenkins, 2012). Major fast food chains also used LFTB in their beef products until the “pink slime” panic. Burger Kings and McDonalds pulled the products immediately and have not reversed their decisions as Hy-Vee has done. The beef industry is now labeling product even though the USDA doesn’t require it. When you look in the meat counter at your local Hy-Vee you will be able to tell if you ground beef contains LFTB (Jenkins, 2012).
If the filler was not used it is estimated that thirteen pounds of beef per animal would be wasted. That would require an additional 1.5 million cattle per year to replace the loss of using LFTB. (Cross, 2012). The cattle on feed it the United States has been declining over the past 15 years and last year took another big decline with the drought across the Midwest in 2012. The consumer demands a leaner ground beef at a cheaper price, without the safe filler it won’t be feasible. After the airing of ABC’s report the price for raw material for ground beef increased 15% in just a few short weeks, and that increase was passed to the consumer. (Cross, 2012). As consumers we are concerned with the safety of our food supply but equally concerned with the cost as well. The companies that produce Lean Finely Textured Beef were hurt from the misconception that LFTB isn’t beef and that is not safe. One filed bankruptcy shortly after the news report and BPI INC. has closed three of its four facilities. It is estimated that almost 3,000 jobs were lost due to the negative campaign against LFTB when ABC labeled it “pink slime” (Bloomgraden-Smoke, 2012). Some are asking if the companies will rebound from the negative campaign against their product and why when LFTB was challenged in the 1990’s didn’t it not create the same panic. The social media has a lot to do with the negative campaign to spread so quickly now but did not in the 1990’s. With social media the way it is today the speed at which new travels is much quicker and is more widely spread then before. The pink slime reference to the name and the showing of the actual product by itself over and over again is something no company wants to have happen. It is hard to overcome the negative images and name than ever before because information is more readily available to us. Companies today need to be more aware of what damage social media can do to their bottom line and how quickly it can happen. The LFTB controversy happened also overnight. Social media puts consumers, consumer advocates and the media closer together (Shapiro, 2012). Russell Cross is the head of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M and is a former administrator for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has dedicated his career to food safety. His statement on LFBT is: “I want to inform the American public that Lean Finely Textured Beef is 100% beef, plain and simple.” Russell Cross makes a simple true statement, the supporting evidence it out there the consumer just has to take the time to research it. The only part of this is not to panic when the news media breaks out with a story because as everyone knows they are not always correct on their information. They created a fury about LFTB and gave it an undesirable name, “pink slime”. In doing research for this document, I was unable to link LFBT directly to any beef recalls or find any evidence that supports that it is anything but 100% beef. Having been a beef producer and now currently in working in the industry for the past 15 years I try to be as informed as I can. I also encourage everyone to take the time to research LFTB, fillers and additives used in the processing of our food. The consumer has a right to know what is in their food supply; the information is out there they just need to do the research. In that research they will discover that Lean Finely Texture Beef is 100% beef and it is safe. It’s doubtful after being labeled with the name “pink slime” that the producers of the filler will recover or that LFTB will again be in over 70% of the ground beef. This has and will continue to affect the prices and the supply of ground beef.
References
Avial, J.
(2012, April 3. Are LFTB or “Pink Slime” Safety Claims Meaningful to Consumers? ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/headlines/2012.04
Bloomgarden-Smoke, K. (2102, March 27). “Pink Slime”: Health crises or misunderstood meat product. Christian Science Monitor.
Cross, R. (2012, April 1). LFTB is 100% beef. USA Today, 30.
Hayden, D. (2012). Pink slime, mechanically separated, LFTB…HUH????. Farming America. Retrieved from http://farmingamerica.org/2012/03/29/pink-slime-mechincally-separated
Jenkins, H. (2012, April 6). Sliming pink slime. Business World. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com
Krzykowki, B. (2012). Legitimate Beef?. Quality Progress, 45(5), 12. Retrieved from http://www.seach.proquest.com.nauproxy01.national.edu
Sharpiro, J. (2012, May 5). “Pink Slime” – A Cautionary Tale for Food Companies. Manufacturing Net. Retrieved from http://www.manufacturing.net
USDA New Release (2012, March 15). USDA Announces Additional Choices for Beef Products in the Upcoming School Year. Retrieved from
http://www.usda.gov
V. Kastner
Abstract
This paper is supportive of the filler product Lean Finely Textured Beef. It is a safe product and is beef. It explains what is it and the process used to make it. It will also explain what ammonium hydroxide is and what it does for our food safety. Everyone should be concerned about what is added to our food supply and the processes that are used in making food products. The labeling of Lean Finely Texture Beef is not required by the USDA because the USDA has stated LFTB is beef. However the beef industry has taken a proactive stand and now labels the ground beef that has LFTB blended in so that the consumer can choose for themselves to buy it or not. The consumer wants to have the confidence that the food supply is safe and know what they are buying. Enough though labeling is not required …show more content…
the beef industry is doing the right thing by labeling it so the consumer can easily see what they are buying.
In March 2012, Jim Avial a reporter for ABC News aired a story on Lean Finely Textured Beef. He referred to Lean Finely Textured Beef as “pink slime” to describe the beef product. This caused a panic among consumer about what is was and is it safe or not. Most consumers did not understand what is was and how it was processed. There are many misconceptions about the filler and the process used to make the product. The negative publicity has lead consumers to believe the product is not beef and not safe, but if you research the product you will have a difficult time finding any evidence to support the claim that is it not beef and it is not safe. LFTB is a safe and is 100% beef. Lean finely textured beef is just that, beef. The website www.beefisbeef.com is sponsored by BPI, Inc. and on this website you can find the following information explaining what is it and how it is produced. Beef trimming are left from over from the processing of beef cattle and the trimming has lean meat remaining in them. A process was designed to remove the fat from the beef, which creates LFTB that is 94% to 97% lean (Entis, 2012). The beef trimming are sent through machines that separate to remove anything that is not pure beef trimming. Then the pure beef trimmings are warmed to 105 degrees and run through a centrifuge to separate the fat from the lean meat. The LFTB is also hit with a small puff of ammonium hydroxide which is an antimicrobial agent that kills E.coli and salmonella bacteria’s. Then the LFTB is frozen and packaged. All LFBT is USDA inspected and regulated before it is released to be added to fresh ground. LFTB is not a stand lone product; it is blended in with fresh ground beef as filler. Its consistency is like jello and the color is light pink. The LFTB on its own in not an appetizing picture by itself, the filler is adding to extend the beef the supply. LFTB is used in more products besides ground beef. It is also used in low-fat hotdogs, lunch meat, pepperoni, some frozen entrees and canned food (Bloomgarden-Smoke, 2012). The picture is what LFTB looks like as it stands alone.
In the process of making Lean Finely Textured Beef they hit the product with ammonium hydroxide to raise the ph. level to kill E.coli and salmonella bacteria’s that maybe present. They use a very little amount in the form of a puff gas. Some believe the ammonium hydroxide is added to the LFTB during the production process, but it is not (Entis, 2012). The safety of ammonium hydroxide was reviewed in 1974 by the US Food and Drug Administration and has been used as an antimicrobial agent in meat since then (Entis, 2012). Ammonium is a colorless gas that is readily soluble in water. It is one part nitrogen to three parts hydrogen. Ammonium hydroxide has many other forms that are used in numerous processing of other foods. Cheese, puddings, chocolate and baked goods are a few examples. Those that believe the this process is an additive want it included on the labels of ground beef, but the USDA does not require it because it is an agent and not an additive. It is one of several agents used that the USDA does not require labeling disclosure that can be used on beef and poultry (Entis, 2012). Nothing is added to the ground beef; it is just treated with the agent there for it is not an ingredient and does not have to be on the label. Another interest fact about ammonia is that it is formed naturally in our bodies and in animals. The bacteria that live in our intestines form ammonia as it digests the proteins that we eat (Entis, 2012). The ammonia is carried into the blood as ammonium hydroxide, into the liver and converts to urea which exits the body. It is normal to find ammonium hydroxide in meat in low levels (Entis, 2012). It is a natural part of the ph. balance of the digestive system in all living animals and people.
This media storm also created another discussion about what Lean Finely Textured Beef does or does not do to the ground beef supply to make it safer. LFTB is mixed with beef at a 15% ratio to make higher-fat ground beef leaner, (Avila, 2012). When it is blended does it help to kill pathogens in the ground beef it’s added too? According to Bill Marler, a noted food safety attorney claims there is no real evidence to prove this claim, (Avila, 2012). Beef Products, Inc. is one of the major producers of LBTB and is owned by Eldon Roth claims that using LFTB makes the ground beef safer. Eldon Roth was quoted telling his supporters; “If your grocer doesn’t have out product in their ground beef, they don’t have the safest ground beef they could have” (Avila, 2012). Later when the question was raised again the Director of quality assurance of BPI, Craig Letch said, “We cannot say that” (Avila, 2012). LFTB is a safe and is beef but when it is blended into contaminated ground beef there is not enough added to make the claim that it would make the supply safer. A student, Courtney Moon, a University of Arkansas student conducted a research product on Lean Finely Textured Beef which Brett Krzykowski states in his document, “Her research project revealed ground beef mixtures containing as much as 20% LFTB reduced spoilage, increased tenderness and gave the product a fresher color.”
The USDA has affirmed LFTB to be safe and encourages all consumers to review the science-based information on the products safety and quality (USDA, 2012). LFTB is recognized as 100% beef by the USDA and FDA and that there is no need for labeling because nothing is added to the product other than beef (Cross, 2012). Along with this question of labeling LFTB came the same question about ammonium hydroxide to which again the USDA and FDA do not require labeling because it is not an additive, it is a processing aid (Cross, 2012). The beef industry now labels it products which contains LFTB, even though the USDA does not require it. They do this so that consumers know what they are buying and can make the choice for themselves. The well informed consumer only cares that the product is safe and economically priced. Without the filler to extend the beef supply the cost will definitely be higher for ground beef and other meat products as well.
The USDA is also giving the schools the choice of using ground beef with LFTB or without due the request of school district across the country. The national nutritional guidelines are set by the USDA for school meal but only about 20% of the food for the National School Lunch Program is purchased through the USDA. The goal of the USDA is to only purchase food that is safe, nutritious and affordable for the program. They require very rigorous pathogen testing and the tests are evaluated continuously by food safety experts to ensure quality and safety requirements are met (USDA, 2012). The USDA has very strict rules on the food safety standards for anything they purchase for the school program.
Large retailers pulled the ground beef with the filler LFTB from their shelves. Hy-Vee was one of those retailers however they reversed their decision after their customers demand they have a choice. (Jenkins, 2012). Major fast food chains also used LFTB in their beef products until the “pink slime” panic. Burger Kings and McDonalds pulled the products immediately and have not reversed their decisions as Hy-Vee has done. The beef industry is now labeling product even though the USDA doesn’t require it. When you look in the meat counter at your local Hy-Vee you will be able to tell if you ground beef contains LFTB (Jenkins, 2012).
If the filler was not used it is estimated that thirteen pounds of beef per animal would be wasted. That would require an additional 1.5 million cattle per year to replace the loss of using LFTB. (Cross, 2012). The cattle on feed it the United States has been declining over the past 15 years and last year took another big decline with the drought across the Midwest in 2012. The consumer demands a leaner ground beef at a cheaper price, without the safe filler it won’t be feasible. After the airing of ABC’s report the price for raw material for ground beef increased 15% in just a few short weeks, and that increase was passed to the consumer. (Cross, 2012). As consumers we are concerned with the safety of our food supply but equally concerned with the cost as well. The companies that produce Lean Finely Textured Beef were hurt from the misconception that LFTB isn’t beef and that is not safe. One filed bankruptcy shortly after the news report and BPI INC. has closed three of its four facilities. It is estimated that almost 3,000 jobs were lost due to the negative campaign against LFTB when ABC labeled it “pink slime” (Bloomgraden-Smoke, 2012). Some are asking if the companies will rebound from the negative campaign against their product and why when LFTB was challenged in the 1990’s didn’t it not create the same panic. The social media has a lot to do with the negative campaign to spread so quickly now but did not in the 1990’s. With social media the way it is today the speed at which new travels is much quicker and is more widely spread then before. The pink slime reference to the name and the showing of the actual product by itself over and over again is something no company wants to have happen. It is hard to overcome the negative images and name than ever before because information is more readily available to us. Companies today need to be more aware of what damage social media can do to their bottom line and how quickly it can happen. The LFTB controversy happened also overnight. Social media puts consumers, consumer advocates and the media closer together (Shapiro, 2012). Russell Cross is the head of the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M and is a former administrator for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has dedicated his career to food safety. His statement on LFBT is: “I want to inform the American public that Lean Finely Textured Beef is 100% beef, plain and simple.” Russell Cross makes a simple true statement, the supporting evidence it out there the consumer just has to take the time to research it. The only part of this is not to panic when the news media breaks out with a story because as everyone knows they are not always correct on their information. They created a fury about LFTB and gave it an undesirable name, “pink slime”. In doing research for this document, I was unable to link LFBT directly to any beef recalls or find any evidence that supports that it is anything but 100% beef. Having been a beef producer and now currently in working in the industry for the past 15 years I try to be as informed as I can. I also encourage everyone to take the time to research LFTB, fillers and additives used in the processing of our food. The consumer has a right to know what is in their food supply; the information is out there they just need to do the research. In that research they will discover that Lean Finely Texture Beef is 100% beef and it is safe. It’s doubtful after being labeled with the name “pink slime” that the producers of the filler will recover or that LFTB will again be in over 70% of the ground beef. This has and will continue to affect the prices and the supply of ground beef.
References
Avial, J.
(2012, April 3. Are LFTB or “Pink Slime” Safety Claims Meaningful to Consumers? ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/headlines/2012.04
Bloomgarden-Smoke, K. (2102, March 27). “Pink Slime”: Health crises or misunderstood meat product. Christian Science Monitor.
Cross, R. (2012, April 1). LFTB is 100% beef. USA Today, 30.
Hayden, D. (2012). Pink slime, mechanically separated, LFTB…HUH????. Farming America. Retrieved from http://farmingamerica.org/2012/03/29/pink-slime-mechincally-separated
Jenkins, H. (2012, April 6). Sliming pink slime. Business World. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com
Krzykowki, B. (2012). Legitimate Beef?. Quality Progress, 45(5), 12. Retrieved from http://www.seach.proquest.com.nauproxy01.national.edu
Sharpiro, J. (2012, May 5). “Pink Slime” – A Cautionary Tale for Food Companies. Manufacturing Net. Retrieved from http://www.manufacturing.net
USDA New Release (2012, March 15). USDA Announces Additional Choices for Beef Products in the Upcoming School Year. Retrieved from
http://www.usda.gov