You didn’t think I’d miss my chance to weigh in on the latest round
of pink slime discussions, did you? Rather than recapitulate the horror
that is your favorite form of “lean finely textured beef,” I will
instead point you to my favorite statement in defense of pink slime. It
was given by American Meat Institute Director of Scientific Affairs
Betsy Booren to NPR:
“This is not the same ammonia you’d use in cleaning
supplies,” explains Betsy Booren of the AMI Foundation. “It’s a gas,
it’s a different compound, and it’s a well-established processing
intervention that has a long history of success.”
First off, the AMI Foundation? AMI’s own website
identifies the group as “a national trade association that represents
companies that process 95 percent of red meat and 70 percent of turkey
in the U.S. and their suppliers throughout America.” Foundation my arse.
