Following last week’s ABC News report which found that ammonia-treated beef trimmings, affectionately known as “pink slime,” are in about 70% of the ground beef Americans buy at the grocery store, supermarket chain Kroger has issued a statement to list which of its ground meats do not contain the filler.

In a statement to the Cincinnati Business Journal, Kroger explains which products contain “lean finely textured beef”:

Kroger carries ground beef both with and without lean finely textured beef. For customers who choose to avoid it, we offer a variety of options including Kroger’s Private Selection Angus Ground Chuck, Round and Sirloin; Private Selection All Natural Ground Beef and Private Selection Organic Ground Beef solid in 1 lb. packages, labeled 80% lean and above; Laura’s Lean Ground Beef; and ground beef prepared in store. All ground beef you find at your local Kroger is USDA-regulated, inspected and approved for food safety and quality. That includes beef products made with lean finely textured beef.

While pink slime has been declared harmless to those who eat it, the former USDA scientist who coined the phrase thinks that consumers are being rooked into paying for filler. “”It’s economic fraud,” he told ABC. “It’s not fresh ground beef. … It’s a cheap substitute being added in.”

A USDA colleague of his called it “a salvage product … fat that had been heated at a low temperature and the excess fat spun out.”

The filler came to the attention of the American public after McDonald’s recently vowed to stop using it in their burgers.

Kroger among U.S. grocers who use ‘pink slime’ in some products [BizJournals.com]

Thanks to Lisa for the tip!

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