Do You Know What's Added to Your Food?

Do you know what this is? 

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.  However, I don't think that is the case with our food.  I saw this picture on Facebook a few months back and thought That looks like a strawberry milkshake... Not so much.  What you are looking at is called Pink Slime.  (The name even sounds disgusting.)

It is the process of taking the trimmings- bones and fat, and adding ammonium hydroxide so that every last scrap of meat can be used from the cow.  The final product is called "finely textured beef."

Now here's the scary part:  The government does not require meat packaging facilities to include the addition of ammonium hydroxide on the label.  The consider the meat to be "treated" with ammonium hydroxide instead of the ammonium hydroxide being added to the meat....  (hummm... interesting thinking USDA)

For several years the USDA has been selling this "finely textured beef" to schools that have been serving it in their school lunches.  It is estimated that in 2012, nearly 100 MILLION POUNDS of pink slime were delivered to schools in the United States.  This coming school year will be the first time schools will have the option to purchase beef that does not contain any fillers and according to Fox News Latino, "Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota were the only three states who chose to order beef containing 'pink slime.'"

Another shocking fact found on pinkslime.biz: "In early 2012, ABC News estimated that 70% of the ground beef sold in grocery stores and supermarkets contained pink slime."  So how do you ensure your meat does not contain this crap?  Purchase your meat from a local butcher and ask if they use anything to treat their meat.  I'm sure that if you talk to the butcher they would agree that ammonium hydroxide does not have a place in our food and it should not be added to meat.

Here is a great video from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  It is worth watching and will open your eyes.