This weekend an image popped up on my Yahoo homepage. Like most weird pictures on the web, I assumed it was a gimmick to get people to do more than check their email on the site. I didn't take the time to read the article, but went about my business. Little did I know that agriculture was about to be attacked by the "Pink Slime."
The image of a Play-Doh pink substance coming from a factory pipe made me sick to my stomach. It certainly didn't look appetizing. With some research I discovered the stuff was lean beef trimmings treated with ammonium hydroxide, a chemical that eliminates pathogens like E Coli and Salmonella. By the way, the picture shown with most of the articles wasn't even beef, but chicken (although that's a whole other issue).
It's a classic case of misinformation coming from sources removed from the process and the industry. An ABC news blog was posted on my wall as an argument against the industry. The post contradicted itself calling the substance fat, but then explaining the process as trimmings heated so the fat is separated from the product. Most of the media coverage focused on how gross this stuff seems, and not on the science behind it.
Lean Beef Trimmings are used in school lunches because it can basically be guaranteed safe. Is it pretty? No, it most definitely is not. The bigger issue is the media explosion. Very little science and fact was placed in the various written pieces. Articles on Drovers Cattle Network, and the blog posted by a beef processor were attacked for being "biased sources." The key to this coverage was determining facts and science from opinion and here-say.
Critical thinking is necessary no matter what media you are viewing, whether it's a network news broadcast or an industry article. Using your brain is important when reading articles and trying to survive a horror film.
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