States opt out of ‘pink slime’ lunches

last updated 8 January 2015

The vast majority of states participating in the government’s subsidized school lunch program this week refused to accept ground beef that contains the filler called “pink slime,” which recently created a national uproar. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that only Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota chose to continue ordering beef that may contain the filler, known in the food industry as lean finely textured beef. The product has been used for decades, and federal regulators say it’s safe to eat, but as Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) said recently, “McDonald’s and Burger King won’t serve it in their restaurants and it doesn’t belong in school cafeterias either.”