TIL in December 2018, lean finely textured beef(pink slime) was reclassified as "ground beef" by the Food Safety Service of the United States Department Of Agriculture. It is banned in Canada and EU.

[realitista@lemm.ee]

cross-posted from: https://lemmit.online/post/6090142

TIL in December 2018, lean finely textured beef(pink slime) was reclassified as "ground beef" by the Food Safety And Inspection Service of the United States Department Of Agriculture. It is banned...

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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/ALSX3 on 2025-06-16 14:13:49+00:00.

Original Title: TIL in December 2018, lean finely textured beef(pink slime) was reclassified as "ground beef" by the Food Safety And Inspection Service of the United States Department Of Agriculture. It is banned in Canada and the EU.

[freakinsteve@lemmy.world]

Hey just curious who was the administration in charge at that time??

[jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works]

weird that it isn't considered organic dispite not using fertilizer or pesticides

[kobra@lemmy.zip]

Because of ammonium hydroxide use in its processing, the lean finely textured beef by BPI is not permitted in Canada.[8] Health Canada stated that: "Ammonia is not permitted in Canada to be used in ground beef or meats during their production" and may not be imported, as the Canadian Food and Drugs Act requires that imported meat products meet the same standards and requirements as domestic meat.[8][9] Canada does allow Cargill's citric acid-produced Finely Textured Meat (FTM) to be "used in the preparation of ground meat" and "identified as ground meat" under certain conditions.

It’s specifically because of the ammonia, apparently? Idk I feel like I don’t want to learn more because only horrors await me.

[swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de]

can't tell if you're serious or taking the piss, but for reference meat has to be fed with things that are themselves organic to be classed as organic.

[jumping_redditor@sh.itjust.works]

to quote the Wikipedia article:

Most of the finely textured beef is produced and sold by BPI, Cargill and Tyson Foods.[29][30] As of March 2012 there was no labeling of the product, and only a USDA Organic label would have indicated that beef contained no "pink slime".

to me implies that even if the meat would have otherwise been organic, that the processing makes it no longer be.

[revan343@lemmy.ca]

'Organic' is poorly-defined wishy-washy bullshit, so don't expect logic or reason

[thatweirdguy1001@lemmy.world]

Just don't ever look up what candies are made of. Some of the most delicious tasting foods are made from some of the most vile things.

Don't even get me started on imitation vanilla...

[gradually_adjusting@lemmy.world]

Orange slime

[doom@ttrpg.network]

I find it annoying they try to pose this as such an ugly product because of how it looks. It's ground up meat, why does it being "pink slime" make people cringe so bad?

Adding the ammonia and the chemical treatment of food is a different topic that is disgusting. But the appearance factor is nonsense to me. Some people need to make their own food, a lot of it is pretty gross until complete.

[paradoxseahorse@lemmy.world]

Lean finely textured beef can constitute up to 15% of ground beef without additional labeling

Well done

[realitista@lemm.ee]

In general I agree. But the question is whether you can actually produce the product without the ammonia and chemicals.

[doom@ttrpg.network]

you true

[lilb0kchoy@midwest.social]

Is it bugs? I bet it's bugs.

[madison420@lemmy.world]

It used to be made from beaver "secretions" whatever that might mean, not anymore but still.

[empricorn@feddit.nl]

It is not beaver anal secretions.

[cryptiod137@lemmy.world]

Imitation vinilla hasn't been made that way for decades. You almost certainly never eaten anything with it in it.

Less than 250 lbs of the stuff was consumed in the US in 1987 and it's only gone down from there.

It's actually significantly more expensive than sythensized alternatives like vanillin since there is basically no commercial beaver trapping anymore.

Decades before this was something I could scare the girls in food class with, it was already not true.

[piccolo@sh.itjust.works]

You're talking about Castroreum. Basically beaver "musk". Which honesty not that weird. If you want weird, be weary of any deep red food that claims natural coloring

[raltoid@lemmy.world]

The vast majority is synthesized. Often from a wood byproduct.

They were probably referring to the old "it's made from beaver anuses" joke. Where in reality castoreum is extracted from an organ under skin near the tail. And is still used in very small amounts in some applications.

[snarkopolo@lemmy.world]

If your Big Mac starts tasting a little, um, slimy? That's just a whole mouth fulla FREEDOM.