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March 10, 2012

USDA Defends Decision to Include 'Pink Slime' in School Lunches

The Department of Agriculture has been left scrambling to defend its intentions to buy some 7 million pounds of the beef trimmings known as "pink slime" for use in school lunches. The agency has reiterated to media outlets, including The Daily, that all food products purchased for use in the National School Lunch Program "must meet the highest standards for food safety," as quoted by USA Today.

What is pink slime?

Pink slime, also known by the slightly more appetizing sounding "boneless lean beef trimmings," is a beef byproduct. It includes many parts of the cow that are not used in other capacities, including the intestines and connective tissues. Because these are typically more easily tainted by E. coli and salmonella, the product is washed with a solution of ammonium hydroxide to sterilize it.

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