Obama signs Monsanto Protection Act

[carlfense]

Not commenting on the lawsuit, but the whole "pink slime" scare was nonsense. I use most of the "pink slime" parts (the gristle, the connective tissue, the cast-off stuff) to make sauce, and it tastes damned good. What sucks is, you used to be able to get bones from the butcher back in the day so you could roast them at home and make an Espagnole, from which you could make your demi-glace or Lyonnaise. But today that stuff gets put into "pink slime" and people think it's nasty.

 

Third-world countries eat this stuff, and in the less-impoverished places in those countries those people eat very well - if not the same quantity as Americans eat, it's often better quality. It's squeamish Americans who don't know how to cook, who think meat comes from the grocery store, who think reheating chicken fingers from the frozen food aisle is "cooking dinner" who believe it's bad food. It's not. It's from the cow - just a different part than you're used to.

 

I have no problem with any part of the cow except brain and spinal cord.

[Conga3]

Not commenting on the lawsuit, but the whole "pink slime" scare was nonsense. I use most of the "pink slime" parts (the gristle, the connective tissue, the cast-off stuff) to make sauce, and it tastes damned good. What sucks is, you used to be able to get bones from the butcher back in the day so you could roast them at home and make an Espagnole, from which you could make your demi-glace or Lyonnaise. But today that stuff gets put into "pink slime" and people think it's nasty.

 

Third-world countries eat this stuff, and in the less-impoverished places in those countries those people eat very well - if not the same quantity as Americans eat, it's often better quality. It's squeamish Americans who don't know how to cook, who think meat comes from the grocery store, who think reheating chicken fingers from the frozen food aisle is "cooking dinner" who believe it's bad food. It's not. It's from the cow - just a different part than you're used to.

 

I have no problem with any part of the cow except brain and spinal cord.

Mad Cow disease? Or just not a fan of the flavor/texture?

[strigori]

Not commenting on the lawsuit, but the whole "pink slime" scare was nonsense. I use most of the "pink slime" parts (the gristle, the connective tissue, the cast-off stuff) to make sauce, and it tastes damned good. What sucks is, you used to be able to get bones from the butcher back in the day so you could roast them at home and make an Espagnole, from which you could make your demi-glace or Lyonnaise. But today that stuff gets put into "pink slime" and people think it's nasty.

 

Third-world countries eat this stuff, and in the less-impoverished places in those countries those people eat very well - if not the same quantity as Americans eat, it's often better quality. It's squeamish Americans who don't know how to cook, who think meat comes from the grocery store, who think reheating chicken fingers from the frozen food aisle is "cooking dinner" who believe it's bad food. It's not. It's from the cow - just a different part than you're used to.

 

The make up of the 'pink slime' was less of the issue. I have seen hamburger being made, its about the same. Its the ammonia treatment that really bothered me. What is happening where it needs that level of disinfection? That is where my problem lies

[JJ Husker]

+1 to knapp for the rant. Very well said.

 

And to answer carls question, yes the consumer should be informed if the product contains LFTB. However, the words pink slime should not be used in any "official" context. It is overly inflammatory and disparaging. Imagine if ESPN continuously referred to the Husker football program as a bunch of criminals based on a minor infraction by one or two players. That is basically what ABC news and some officials in our government did to BPI. I understand the average consumer being a little skeptical of the product but calling it an unappetizing name never really gives it a chance at honest appraisal.

[BigRedBuster]

The pink slime issue is a good example of why a company like Monsanto would be nervous about the GMO labeling issue.

 

The media has proven time and time again that they can take an issue (that really is a non issue) and turn it into a major fiasco by over dramatizing it and creative editing of the story.

[knapplc]

The make up of the 'pink slime' was less of the issue. I have seen hamburger being made, its about the same. Its the ammonia treatment that really bothered me. What is happening where it needs that level of disinfection? That is where my problem lies

 

If the ammonia treatment was only applied to "pink slime" then it would be different. But it's a common disinfectant in food rendering/prep. People just didn't know about it until recently:

 

 

 

 

---

Ammonia used in many foods, not just "pink slime"

 

Surprise rippled across America last month as a new wave of consumers discovered that hamburgers often contained ammonia-treated beef, or what critics dub "pink slime".

 

What they may not have known is that ammonia - often associated with cleaning products - was cleared by U.S. health officials nearly 40 years ago and is used in making many foods, including cheese. Related compounds have a role in baked goods and chocolate products.

 

Using small amounts of ammonia to make food is not unusual to those expert in high-tech food production. Now that little known world is coming under increasing pressure from concerned consumers who want to know more about what they are eating.

 

---

[carlfense]

Mad Cow disease? Or just not a fan of the flavor/texture?

A genuine fear of prions. They're probably the most terrifying thing in nature that I can think of.

 

(The flavor and texture are gross too . . . my great aunt used to pan fry brain. Gross. Decent catfish bait, though.)

[carlfense]

I understand the average consumer being a little skeptical of the product but calling it an unappetizing name never really gives it a chance at honest appraisal.

It wasn't the (apt) name that made the product unappetizing . . .

 

Effective use of scraps? Sure. Nutritional? I suppose. Gross? Yeah. A little bit. It looks like soft serve ice cream.

[Conga3]

I understand the average consumer being a little skeptical of the product but calling it an unappetizing name never really gives it a chance at honest appraisal.

It wasn't the (apt) name that made the product unappetizing . . .

 

Effective use of scraps? Sure. Nutritional? I suppose. Gross? Yeah. A little bit. It looks like soft serve ice cream.

That can't be a food product. They are scooping it into cardboard boxes likely to be discarded.

 

Where did you find these pixels?

[knapplc]

It's only processed that way for a specific purpose, which is binding/adding bulk. If they're using it for something else it wouldn't look like that.

 

Also, that "gross" appellation is a conditioned response. We expect meat to look like this:

 

 

Or ground up to look like this:

 

 

But ground beef is just as "gross" as pink slime compared to whole-muscle pieces like steak or roast. Beef is not naturally ground, or intended to look like that. Nobody has a problem with it because we're conditioned over long usage to think it's OK. But it's wholly unnatural.

 

Same goes for chicken. Chicken is supposed to look like this:

 

 

Or this:

 

 

But when it comes in this form, nobody has a problem with it:

 

 

Or like this:

 

 

 

But anyone with any sense knows they're using some kind of "slime" binder to agglomerate those disparate chicken bits into those shapes. But since they're something we've all seen since childhood, those are OK. "Pink slime" is new to some people, so it's got the yuck factor.

It's the same yuck factor you see when you're trying to feed vegetables to a five-year-old.

[sd'sker]

pink slime is an unfortunate name, but even ground beef has a certain amount of fecal matter in it. that does not seem to bother anyone.

 

edit to respond to knapp: that is a good point. looking at how 'chicken' nuggets and sandwiches tear apart, it is obviously not just the breast or something, but a weird ground up chicken matter molded back together somehow.

[carlfense]

Where did you find these pixels?

Google.

[carlfense]

Also, that "gross" appellation is a conditioned response. We expect meat to look like this . . .

Edit: dear god the texture . . .

[JJ Husker]

I understand the average consumer being a little skeptical of the product but calling it an unappetizing name never really gives it a chance at honest appraisal.

It wasn't the (apt) name that made the product unappetizing . . .

 

Effective use of scraps? Sure. Nutritional? I suppose. Gross? Yeah. A little bit. It looks like soft serve ice cream.

Anyone- if this picture freaks you out, you will want to stay away any meat product that is not obviously a whole muscle cut. Bologna, lunch meat, hot dogs, many sausages, virtually anything formed in an unnatural shape, etc etc all look very similar to this at some point in the process. Maybe I am just more conditioned to accept it because I know what's in it and how it got there and why it's in that condition. You sure don't have to take my word for it but, I've seen lots nastier stuff than this and I don't avoid any of it because of "this" appearance. And, I'm with ya Carl on the brain and spinal cord. That's what people should be concerned about. Luckily, a lot of effort is expended in packinghouses to keep those items out of edible products.

[sd'sker]

that looks delicious. no better way to get nutrition and protein than a hearty meat shake.

 

 

edit: i could not figure out how to post this video. i gave up.