"Pink slime" not used by District 308's food service provider
March 14, 2012
ARAMARK specifications do not allow beef treated with ammonium hydroxide, but in operating the National School Lunch program, school districts we serve may receive USDA- procured beef that follows different specifications than ARAMARK.
At this time, we have received NO USDA-procured beef products and have no plans to utilize the product in District 308.
Listed below is further information on the topic, including a letter from the American Meat Institute to ABC in regards to Jamie Oliver's claims, a statement from the USDA, and some background on the issue.
Be assured this issue does not affect District 308 school lunches.
Linda Porth
District 308 ARAMARK Foodservice Director
AMI Letter:
The American Meat Institute (AMI) sent a letter to ABC/Jamie Oliver when the show aired last year. It clearly outlines the sensational nature of the show and the inaccurate information it disseminated.
Read More
Statement from USDA:
All USDA ground beef purchases for the National School Lunch Program must meet the highest standards for food safety. This includes stringent pathogen testing and compliance with all applicable food safety regulations. USDA has strengthened ground beef food safety standards in recent years and only allows products into commerce – and especially into schools – that they are confident are safe.
Background:
Since the early 1990s, Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) has been allowed as a component of the ground beef purchased by USDA for distribution through the NSLP. The maximum allowable percentage of LFTB that may be formulated into single servings of the ground beef purchased for the NSLP is 15 percent, which is similar to the composition found in many commercially available ground beef products. USDA does not purchase LFTB directly. Rather, LFTB may be used as a raw material in USDA-purchased ground beef products after it undergoes stringent testing. Of the ground beef purchased by USDA in 2011 for the NSLP, LFTB comprised approximately 6.5 percent of the total volume.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) considers ammonium hydroxide as “generally recognized as safe.” FSIS reviewed the suitability of Beef Products, Inc.’s (BPI) use of ammonium hydroxide in order to assess its effectiveness in performing the intended technical purpose of use, at the lowest level necessary, and to ensure that the product is not adulterated or misleading to consumers.
All USDA beef purchases for the NSLP and other Federal food and nutrition assistance programs meet very high food safety standards, which include stringent pathogen testing. Beef supplied by BPI as a component of the beef products purchased by USDA for the NSLP is subject to the same strict pathogen testing requirements for beef raw ingredients.
In a USDA fact sheet developed in response to this particular episode, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) explains that a food grade substance called ammonium hydroxide is not common ammonia:
“Ammonium hydroxide is used to produce a lean meat product that is added to ground beef to reduce the overall fat content without compromising flavor. It also has some degree of anti-microbial effect. Ammonium hydroxide also is used in a variety of other processed foods, such as baked goods, gelatins and puddings, and cheeses, and can occur naturally in foods,” AMS’s fact sheet says.
Additional information on this product or product specific inquiries should be directed to BPI at http://www.beefproducts.com/.