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Lean Finely Trimmed Beef
aka 'Pink Slime' |
Greetings!
If you've watched the news the last couple of weeks, you've heard about Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB) or what the media has dubbed "pink slime". Included below, SDCA has compiled talking points and other resources to help you show your support of this important protein source.
Please forward this email to your friends, neighbors and beef retails outlets and encourage them to get the facts before passing judgement on LFTB. You can also use the simple share buttons at the top of this email to link on your facebook or twitter accounts. |
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Governors Support Lean Finely Textured Beef
Govs. Terry Branstad (Iowa); Sam Brownback (Kansas); Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, standing in for South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who is on a trade mission in China; Dave Heineman (Nebraska); and Rick Perry (Texas) have joined forces inthe support of LFTB and will be touring BPI's Sioux City Nebraska facility Thursday March 29th.
SDCA sent an email out last night with details of this event. |
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National Cattlemen's Beef Association has issued the following talking points;
National Cattlemen's Beef Association has issued the following talking points; Lean finely textured beef is just that - BEEF * When steaks and roasts are cut, it creates the "trim" that becomes ground beef. The companies supplying lean finely textured beef use a process to remove a lot of the fat from the lean beef in the trim, which is then added to the ground beef as a concentrated, lean source of protein. * In some cases, a small, safe amount of ammonia gas or citric acid is used to produce the lean finely textured beef, which like other safety measures along the way, reduces the potential for bacterial contamination. * The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service has reviewed and approved this practice as safe. Safety advocates and independent scientists have applauded it as an effective way of ensuring safe beef for consumers. * The nutritional profiles of lean finely textured beef is 90% - 95% lean (5%-10% fat) and, just like all beef, is a good or excellent source of 10 essential nutrients including protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. |
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Join the Cause on Facebook > "People for the Truth"
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Unfortunately, myths about this product have ultimately resulted in a domino effect from farm to fork.
These are the facts:
* Today, there are 650 people out of work for an indefinite period of time. The affected families, ruarl economies and all consumers will suffer unless we commit to getting and understanding the facts, rather than buying into the media hype. The U.S. beef supply already is tight due to the smallest cowherd we've had since 1955. Removing available beef like lean finely textured beef from our already tight supply will likely result in higher prices that ultimately get passed along to shoppers.
* Hundreds of millions of pounds of lean finely textured beef is produced annually - losing this perfectly safe and nutritious source of lean protein may mean we have to rely increasingly on imports to meet growing consumer demand for lean ground beef.
* An entire community of people - from farm to fork - stand to lose from this current situation, including farm and ranch families who will, at least in the short-term, see a decrease in the value of their cattle. We encourage everyone to learn the facts rather than to jump to conclusions based on media hype - it's the right thing for our families, food supply and local economies. |
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Sign the Petition!
To obtain the truth and the facts about Lean Finely Textured Beef
Greetings,
I just signed the following petition addressed to: Everyone in this country that purchases and consumes Ground Beef..
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Beef Products, Inc has been dedicated to producing cost effective and SAFE Lean Beef and our character has been grossly misrepresented. The consumers deserve the truth about our product.
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SIGN THE PETITIONonline & forward to contacts.
Take the Poll
Take the bestfoodfacts.org - Food Fight Poll on LFTB |
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Producers Invited to
BPI's Hamburger Feed March 31st
Sioux City, Nebraska |
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Ecomonic Impact of LFTB
$15 per head on feeders = $25 million (per herd numbers as of 1/1/2012)
$25 per head on packers = $42 million
This equals a possible loss of $40 per head = $67 million will be lost
in South Dakota
average of 2,000 jobs will be lost
$440 million across the country - will be lost
If a herd of 15,000 (for estimating purposes yeilds 100% calving rate) will be Equal to $22,000 > possible loss
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Consumer Impact
Ealier in 2012 consumer level beef prices were almost $5.10 per pound
10.2% above last January
Steak prices were up 9.7% while ground beef was up 10.6%
This was BEFORE the "Pink Slime" smear campaign began |
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Whats the safety issue with Ammonia Hydroxide Gas in beef compared to other food people eat?
Domestic Blue Cheese 1389 ppm
Beer Cheese 917 ppm
Peanut butter 489 ppm
Catsup 352 ppm
Gelatin 342 ppm
Grapefruit 166 ppm
Ground Beef 101 ppm
This is information that was part of a 1973 study printed in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Article |
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On the Positive...
- On Wednesday afternoon, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack and Governor Branstad from Iowa held a joint press conference in Des Moines, Iowa regarding lean finely textured beef. From what we have heard, the Secretary was highly supportive of the safety and quality of lean finely textured beef. Several media outlets were present at the press conference and we are starting to see media stories that the Secretary is re-affirming the safety of this product. According to a Bloomberg story quoting Vilsack, "This product is safe...There's no question about it. We have said that repeatedly. This product is safe. This product contains less fat, and this product historically is less expensive."
- Hyvee reversed its decision from last week to no longer carry beef containing lean finely textured beef, saying that it will now begin purchasing lean finely textured beef products again and give consumers the choice. This decision was based on consumer demands-according to Hyvee's statement, "They've sent us a clear message: They want a choice when it comes to ground beef, and they want to support companies that provide thousands of jobs in our Midwest trade area."
- The Daily Show used their time to try to help clear things up WATCH
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