McDonald's Stops Using 'Pink Slime'

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver spearheaded drive against controversial beef
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 30, 2012 4:03 PM CST
McDonald's Stops Using 'Pink Slime'
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver speaks to The Associated Press in Miami Beach, Fla., at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011.   (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Jamie Oliver's gastric juices must be bubbling with joy. The food activist and celebrity chef has fought for months against so-called "pink slime," and lo and behold, McDonald's announced last week it has stopped using the controversial beef, CBS News reports. The chain was "taking a product that would be sold in its cheaper form for dogs" and gave "it to humans," Oliver said; he's "thrilled" by McD's decision.

What is "pink slime"? Used in 70% of ground beef, it's beef trimmings from strange parts of a cow that are treated with ammonium hydroxide to make them relatively safe and edible, Huffington Post reports. The USDA approved "pink slime" in 2007, but the New York Times and the documentary Food Inc. have raised doubts about its safety. Food Safety News says the public backlash was unfair, but the Times linked "pink slime" to dozens of cases of E. coli and salmonella. (Read about a deadly bacteria found in supermarket meats.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X