USDA Affirms Safety of Lean Finely Textured Beef Product for Consumers

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2012 – In response to requests from school districts across the country, the USDA announced today that it will offer more choices to schools in the National School Lunch Program when it comes to purchases of ground beef products.

USDA only purchases products for the school lunch program that are safe, nutritious and affordable – including all products containing Lean Finely Textured Beef. However, due to customer demand, the department will be adjusting procurement specifications for the next school year so schools can have additional options in procuring ground beef products. USDA will provide schools with a choice to order product either with or without Lean Finely Textured Beef.

USDA continues to affirm the safety of Lean Finely Textured Beef product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science based information on the safety and quality of this product. Lean Finely Textured Beef is a meat product derived from a process which separates fatty pieces from beef trimmings to reduce the overall fat content.

By law, USDA has two primary responsibilities as part of its mandate to provide safe and nutritious food to the American people. Through the Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA ensures that safety of the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and processed egg products. Through the Food and Nutrition Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA provides food and nutrition assistance through several domestic programs, including the National School Lunch Program.

While USDA sets national nutritional guidelines for school meals, school districts make local decisions on what food to feed kids to meet these guidelines. On average, schools in the National School Lunch Program purchase approximately 20 percent of their food through USDA, and approximately 80 percent of food served is purchased directly by schools or school districts through private vendors. Schools purchase food from the department through the USDA Foods Program, which provides more than 180 nutritious food items that are fresh, frozen, packaged, canned, dried, or in bulk. USDA procures these products based on the demand from schools to help meet the menu planning needs, student taste preferences, school nutrition goals, and local wellness initiatives.

USDA ensures all food purchased for the National School Lunch Program meet stringent food safety standards, which includes rigorous pathogen testing. Purchase specifications are continually reviewed, microbial test results are evaluated, new food safety technologies are considered, and food safety experts are consulted to determine the adequacy of our food safety requirements.
 

USDA Release 0094.12; March 15, 2012 posting at: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdamediafb?contentid=2012/03/0094.xml&printable=true&contentidonly=true

 The State of Alaska Child Nutrition Program also states the USDA has announced that as of July 1, 2012, its beef supply will be free of Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB, aka “pink slime”) by default. This also includes Alaska’s processed end products delivered after July 1st.

Questions and Answers About Lean Finely Textured Beef

Lean finely textured beef (LFTB) is a category of beef products that uses hightechnology food processing equipment to separate lean meat from fat because doing it by hand would be impossible. LFTB products prevent the waste of valuable, lean, nutritious, safe, beef by using technology to do what hands cannot.

Unfortunately, recent media reports and so called "reality" shows have raised concerns about the product without the benefit of facts from those that produce or use it. These questions and answers aim to provide the facts.

Are these products regulated and inspected?
Yes. Lean finely textured beef is beef, quite simply, and all beef products are strictly regulated and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Inspectors are present in plants where these products are made every day to ensure that this product is produced in a safe and wholesome manner. During the two decades these products have been produced, they have had an excellent food safety record.

What are the different types of lean finely textured beef?
There are two common types. One is called boneless lean beef trimmings and the other is called finely textured beef. The products are similar in many ways, but they use different antimicrobial treatments to enhance the safety of the finished product.

What are boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT) finely textured?
When beef carcasses are processed into meat cuts consumers and restaurants use, trimmings result. Trimmings are smaller pieces of fat that contain small portions of beef that are wholesome and nutritious. To make BLBT, the trimmings are warmed to about 100F degrees in equipment that looks like a large, high speed mixing bowl that spins these trimmings to separate meat from the fat that has been liquefied. The resulting product is very low fat (95+% lean), which many consumers desire. This process is very similar to the one used to separate cream from milk.

Is it true that these trimmings previously were only used for pet food and oil and were unfit for human consumption, as one media outlet claimed?
That statement is patently false. Beef trimmings are edible. No process can make an inedible product edible. What the process does is separate the lean meat from the fat, which was previously near impossible to accomplish through knife trimming by hand.

Is ammonia used to produce BLBT?
Food grade ammonium hydroxide (basically ammonia + water), which has been declared safe by the Food and Drug Administration since 1974, is used to produce a number of products such as puddings and baked goods and can be used in the processing of boneless lean beef trimmings to control any harmful bacteria that may be present in the beef.

Why is ammonium hydroxide used in processing a beef product?
A puff of ammonium hydroxide gas slightly raises the pH of a product and can destroy bacteria that could make someone ill if a raw product is not cooked thoroughly. The USDA, after consultation with FDA, has determined that this use of ammonium hydroxide is safe and it has been in use for this purpose since 2001.

Is ammonium hydroxide used in all lean, finely textured beef products?
No. Another variation known as finely textured beef is made in a similar way, but uses citric acid, like the acid in a citrus fruit, to destroy bacteria. That particular type is referred to as finely textured beef or FTB.

When any form of lean finely textured beef is blended into ground beef, will it be labeled?
Because it is 100% beef, LFTB is not singled out as a separate ingredient on ground beef packages.

What do the experts say about its safety?
Experts such as Dr. Gary Acuff at Texas A&M University and Dr. John Floros at Pennsylvania State University have examined these products and say that all forms of lean finely textured beef are safe when produced in compliance with USDA regulations.

What do the food safety data show?
USDA data show that the incidence of E. coli in fresh ground beef has been declining significantly over the past decade. The number of USDA ground beef samples testing positive for E. coli O157:H7 dropped 55 percent between 2000 and 2010. Lean finely textured beef products have been a part of that success story.

Is it really necessary to try to get every small bit of beef from a carcass?
Necessary? Perhaps not. But it absolutely is the right thing to do.

All types of lean finely textured beef are sustainable products because they recover lean meat that would otherwise be wasted. The beef industry is proud to produce beef products that maximize as much lean meat as possible from the cattle we raise. It’s the right thing to do and it ensures that our products remain as affordable as we can make them while helping to feed America and the world. If this beef is not used in fresh ground beef products, approximately 1.5 million additional head of cattle would need to be harvested annually to make up the difference, which is not a good use of natural resources, or modern technology, in
a world where red meat consumption is rising and available supply is declining.

For more information, visit www.MeatMythCrushers.com

http://www.csifoodpro.com/a/news&item=6276  March 23, 2012

Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings (BLBT) Is A Safe and Wholesome Beef Product Made By Separating Lean Beef From Fat
Thursday, March 8, 2012

(Attribute Statement to American Meat President J. Patrick Boyle)

Washington, DC, March 8, 2012 -- “Boneless lean beef trimmings (BLBT) is a safe, wholesome and nutritious form of beef that is made by separating lean beef from fat. To make the product, beef companies use beef trimmings, the small cuts of beef that remain when larger cuts are trimmed down. These trimmings are USDA inspected, wholesome cuts of beef that contain both fat and lean and are nearly impossible to separate using a knife. When these trimmings are processed, the process separates the fat away and the end result is nutritious, lean beef. It’s a process similar to separating cream from milk.

One process uses food grade ammonium hydroxide gas, something commonly used in the production of many foods, to destroy bacteria. Whatever process is used, it is all done under the watchful eye of USDA inspectors and according to strict federal rules. Lean finely textured beef is blended into foods like ground beef. Producing BLBT ensures that lean, nutritious, safe beef is not wasted in a world where red meat protein supplies are decreasing while global demand is increasing as population and income increases.

Some recent media reports created a troubling and inaccurate picture, particularly in their use of the colloquial term 'pink slime.' The fact is, BLBT is beef. The beef trimmings that are used to make BLBT are absolutely edible. In fact, no process can somehow make an inedible meat edible; it’s impossible. In reality, the BLBT production process simply removes fat and makes the remaining beef more lean and suited to a variety of beef products that satisfy consumers’ desire for leaner foods.

In fact, BLBT is a sustainable product because it recovers lean meat that would otherwise be wasted. The beef industry is proud to efficiently produce as much lean meat as possible from the cattle we raise. It’s the right thing to do and it ensures that our products remain as affordable as we can make them while helping to feed America and the world.”

Consumers with questions are encouraged to visit http://www.meatmythcrushers.com/ . For information on the use of ammonium hydroxide in other foods, visit http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Questions_and_Ans....

http://www.meatami.com/ht/d/ReleaseDetails/i/76164 March 23,2012

Nutrition Services administrative office has moved from administrative center at 520 Fifth Avenue to our new location next to the Facilities Management Department (FMD). Nutrition Services Center encompasses the nutrition services administrative office, the new central kitchen production facilities, and nutrition services supplies warehouse.

Nutrition Services Center
1305 Charles Street
Fairbanks, AK 99701

Charles Street runs east & west off Illinois street.

• If you are heading north on Illinois from Cushman Street towards Minnie Street, take a left at the Sour-dough Fuel Bulk station.
• If you are heading south on Illinois between College Road and Minnie Street, take a right at the Sour-dough Fuel Bulk station.

Charles Street turns into a dirt road. There are two stop signs on Charles Street. Nutrition Services Center is .5 miles at the end of the road. There is a large sign at the end of the road:

• New Telephone Number is 451-1004.
• The general information is ext. 16600 or 16601.
• Our department will have new extensions in the 166** series.

Let's Move, in association with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is challenging school nutrition professionals, chefs, students, parents and interested community members to create tasty, helathy, exciting new recipes for inclusion on school lunch menus across the country.  Deadline to enter is 5:00 p.m. EST on December 30, 2010.

For more  information & contest details visit http://www.recipesforkidschallenge.com

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was signed by President Obama in December 2010. This legislation requires many changes to the National School Lunch Program regulations, one of which is directly related to the price that must be paid by those students who do not qualify to receive meals at the free or reduced price rates. Section 205, Equity in School Lunch Pricing, requires school districts to “…ensure that schools are providing the same level of support for lunches served to students who are not eligible for free or reduced price lunches (i.e. paid lunches) as they are for lunches served to students eligible for free lunches.”  In plain language, this requires school districts to generate in local revenue from a paid lunch the same amount of money that the school districts receive in federal reimbursement for a free lunch.

In addition to this legislative requirement, we have seen a dramatic rise in food prices and will continue to do so over the next several years due to increasing transportation costs and the new meal requirements the United States Department of Agriculture will implement beginning July 1, 2012.   We continue to dedicate ourselves to providing quality nutritious meals that the students want to consume and are diligently watching the markets and doing what we can to control our costs.

Our students are our greatest resource. It is our responsibility to provide students with choices that mirror those they will be making outside of school and a solid foundation in moderation and balance.

2011 - 2012 School Year Full Meal Prices

• $2.00  Elementary Breakfast
• $3.50  Elementary Lunch 
• $2.25  Secondary Breakfast
• $3.75  Secondary Lunch
• $3.75  Visitor or Non-Student Breakfast
• $5.50  Visitor or Non-Student Lunch