This is not bubble gum or cotton candy folks; this is pink slime in all its glory! Photo via US News
Following McDonald’s announcement that they are no longer using pink slime in their hamburger patties, news of this issue has been spreading around the world. Since McDonald’s can be found from Israel to the United Arab Emirates, we have also addressed the issue. Such postings, including our meat glue article which was picked up on Snopes, are not intended to raise public hysteria but to fact find. Similar topics have included possible ceramic coated cookware dangers and meat products containing the substance transglutaminse otherwise known as meat glue.
A number of USA based news media sites, including CBS News and msnbc.com have reported that McDonald’s in America have dropped the used of the slimy pink substance after British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver brought a live cow and large chunks of freshly slaughtered beef into an American fast food restaurant to show customers how pink slime is made.
He combined ground up pieces of discarded beef trimmings and placed them in a washing machine to show how the fat is spun off by the machines centrifuge-like revolutions.
To further emphasize his point, Oliver took a bottle of household ammonia and mixed some if it with water, thereby creating the ammonium hydroxide that he claims is being used to kill e-coli and other forms of bacteria present in the “slime.”
Jamie Oliver video on how pink slime is made:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wshlnRWnf30[/youtube]
While reports are not definite pink slime may have been used in the McDonald’s hamburger chain in Beijing until August, 2011 when it was said to have been “removed from our supply chain” according to a statement released by McDonald’s of China to the Peoples Daily news.
The Chinese offices of McDonald’s later denied ever having used it, however. But serious questions still arise regarding its use in beef products in McDonald’s restaurants in China, according to a second article published in the China Daily news site. Reports on the Middle East are non existent.
We still do not know if any fast food chains are using pink slime in any part of the Middle East, however. It might be a good thing to add that in McDonald’s restaurants in the USA, and possibly elsewhere as well, a number of questionable chemical additives are still being used on a daily basis, as reported in the Washington Post. Some of these additives include:
1. Propylene glycol – a substance similar to that found in antifreeze
2. Ammonium sulfate – used to encourage bread dough to rise
3. Azodicarbonamide – a bleaching agent used in hamburger buns
4. Sodium Acid pyrophosphate – a buffering agent used in foods like chicken nuggets
While everyone should be happy that McDonald’s has removed pink slime from at least its meat patties being served in American restaurants, these other additives warrant investigation as well. And we welcome consumer advocates located in the Middle East to conduct their own food content examinations in Middle Eastern fast food chains.
We will certainly be on the watch.
Slime Photo via US News
More on scary food issues:
Is Pink Slime Worse Than Meat Glue?
Ceramic Frying Pans May be Killing You With Color
Meat Glue: Is Anybody Talking About It?
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
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