Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Pink slime author regrets comment




The meat inspector who coined the term “pink slime” says he regrets he said it and said it has made his life miserable.

He says the U.S. Department of Agriculture harassed him about the comment to the point he left his job, then applied for work as a consultant which proved to be a mistake.

Gerald Zimstein is the meat inspector who first called the product made by Beef Products Inc. “pink slime” in 2002.

He still says it should be labeled so consumers know what they’re buying.

The industry calls it finely-textured lean beef, but Zimstein says it should be regulated and labeled as an additive.

“There’s nothing simple about that topic, because you’re mixing in food science, food safety, and economics,” Zirnstein told Meatingplace, a meat-industry magazine that also runs a twice-daily website for industry news.
“It’s about food safety, food quality, food labeling and economics,” Zimstein said.
Earlier this week, the USDA said it will require companies to label products that contain the product which is processed from trimmings that used to go for pet food and rendering.
Health Canada will not allow the product on the Canadian market, but that has done little to keep the economic impact from sliding over the border to impact packers and farmers.