Unhealthy Meat? Last Year Meat Glue, Now Pink Slime
By Mark Raatz
In 2011, the scourge of the meat industry was meat glue. In 2012, it’s pink slime in your meat. If I were just a singer in a rock and roll band (thank you Moody Blues), those two names (Meat Glue or Pink Slime ) for my group would be at the top of the list. Instead, they turn out to be more -ugh!- additives in our food supply.
First, let’s review the meat glue. Meat glue, or transglutaminases, is defined by Wikipedia as “…a family of enzymes that catalyze the formation of a covalent bond between a free amine group and the gamma-carboxamid group of protein or peptide bound glutamine.” What that means for us is that two or three pieces of similar meat are glued together to make one larger piece of meat.
That filet you had at the restaurant recently may have been from two or three different cows. I wonder if they charge more because of that?
Besides gluing steaks together, the meat glue is used in a surprising number of foods. Imitation crab meat and chicken nuggets are examples. A chef in New York, famous for his shrimp pasta dish actually makes the pasta out of shrimp with the help of meat glue.
One of the concerns is that if meat from more than one cow is glued together and there is an outbreak of bacteria, it could be difficult to determine the source. From which cow did the affected meat come?
Now, in 2012, we have pink slime.
Pink slime has been used since, at least, the 1990s and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared it safe. Its industry name is “lean finely textured beef.” It’s made up of the trimmings and other pieces from cut beef that are heated and then spun in a centrifuge to get the fat out.
Pink Slime News Flash
Jersey schools won’t be serving beef with so-called “pink slime” in the next academic year.
The state Agriculture Department has notified school districts it will only offer beef without the ammonia-treated filler, as per federal directives.
Source: Newyork.cbslocal.com – NJ Schools Won’t Be Serving Pink Slime
The gelatin-like pellets that are a result of that process are then exposed to ammonium hydroxide gas to kill off bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. The pellets are mixed with ground beef to produce a leaner product. It’s typical to have 5% to 15% or more of the additive in ground beef. I’d rather have the fat.
The USDA does not require any information on the packaging that states whether the filler is used in the beef products, we buy at the store. It is known that many school lunch programs use ground beef containing the pink slime. It’s estimated that about 70% of the ground beef we buy in stores contains the additive.
Of course, we’re told that neither product causes harm. Don’t even think about it — ignore that man behind the curtain. I haven’t found any proof of the harmful effects, but just the idea of more additives in my food makes me cringe. With consumers it’s all about perception. That’s all the more reason to become a wise shopper and buy local meat and produce, if you can. I’m fortunate to live near an organic farm that raises grass-fed beef for their family and the public. I buy a quarter of a steer and that lasts me quite a while.
All this news about additives and chemicals in our food supply makes me wonder if any, or all, of them have anything to do with the growth rate of our children. Girls are experiencing menstrual cycles at younger ages than ever before and look at the size of some of these middle school and high school athletes.
Refined carbohydrates are being blamed for the modern diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even heart disease. Some of our water supply is known to be tainted with prescriptions drugs and other chemicals.
Then there is the deluge of junk foods with all those unnecessary carbs and the additives in many of our other foods… It makes me very concerned about the future. Are we mutating?
There are probably so many other additives besides meat glue and pink slime in our food supply that we’re not even aware of. It’s a sad state of affairs when we can’t seem to be able to rely on anything these days. Do the best you can and get informed. And demand complete label information on all your foods!
Personal fitness, health issues, nutrition, and the connection of our mind and body are the things I’ve taken a great interest in for at least the last 30 years, so I think I know of whence I speak.
About the author: I am not a physician, therapist, or any other kind of so-called expert and am not giving anyone any medical advice. I know what works for me and have spent a lot of time, money, and effort constantly learning as much as I could about all of those subjects. But I strongly advise anyone to consult their own physician before making any changes in their own life.http://www.healthisanattitude.com —- Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Raatz —- http://EzineArticles.com/?Pink-Slime-and-Meat-Glue—And-Neither-One-Is-A-Rock-Band&id=6953614
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Via The Huffington Post: “Pink slime — that ammonia-treated meat in a bright Pepto-bismol shade — may have been rejected by fast food joints like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Burger King, but is being brought in by the tons for the nation’s school lun…
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"We don't serve that here," Kass said on Monday at the White House, when asked about the high-profile controversy surrounding Pink Slime being allowed in foods such as tacos and burgers that are served in the National …
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Being a supporter of pink slime today must feel a lot like being a star in the sky at 6 o'clock in the morning. As much as you just want to keep on shining, it's becoming increasingly clear that sunrise is right around the corner.
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