Are you eating pink slime?

If a package says, “100% beef” then it must be true, right? Not always. New studies and recent media attention have shed light on the issue: beef byproducts are used as filler for 70% of pre-packaged meats sold in stores. These byproducts – affectionately known as “pink slime” – are bits of meat and muscle taken from slaughterhouse floors. Gross!

To make things worse, these beef trimmings are exposed to E coli, salmonella, and are treated with ammonium hyrdoxide before they are mixed in with the beef. According to the USDA, pink slime is “generally recognized as safe” and manufacturers are not required to put all ingredients on the label. Okay USDA, but a food label should not read like a chemistry textbook.

On the bright side, there are companies taking steps to clean up their act. As a response to public outcry, fast food chains McDonald’s, Burger King and Taco Bell have taken steps to ensure that pink slime stays out of their meat products. Some companies however, including some of the nation’s largest grocery stores like Giant Grocery, continue to stock their shelves with pink slime.

We need to keep this use our citizen power to do something about this. Sign this petition to demand that Giant remove pink slime from their stores. Don’t stop by signing…share this with everyone you know who cares about their health. Let’s make sure America knows about this disgusting meat filler and let’s take control over what we eat!