More On Pink Slime

WSJ, via nc links:

Supporters say taking the product out of the U.S. food chain will lead to higher beef prices and fattier hamburger, since it is very low in fat.
"You effectively need to kill 1.5 million more head of cattle in a year to replace the meat that would go off the market from this unwarranted, unmerited food scare," Gov. Branstad said. "That's why we're pushing back on it."
"We have said all along, and have been saying for weeks, this product is safe," USDA chief Tom Vilsack said in a news conference Wednesday.
The USDA chief is dispatching a top federal food safety official, Under Secretary Elisabeth Hagen, Thursday to a facility that produces the additive in South Sioux City, Neb. Several governors also will attend the event as they pressure supermarkets to return ground beef with the filler to refrigerator cases.
"We're going to consume it," Gov. Branstad said. "We'll do everything we can to set the record straight."
Known in the industry as lean finely textured beef, the additive is made from scraps remaining after cattle are butchered into cuts such as steaks and roasts. Processors remove the fat from trimmings, and in some cases treat the meat for bacteria with ammonium hydroxide. The product is then mixed with ground beef, often making it leaner, according to Beef Products Inc., a major producer.
The filler has been used for nearly two decades and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is safe. Still, that hasn't kept supermarket chains such as Kroger Co., Safeway Inc. and Supervalu Inc. from phasing out the additive. The decision caught state and federal officials off guard and led Beef Products to suspend production at plants in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kan.; and Waterloo, Iowa.

I've apparently been eating pink slime added beef for nearly two decades and I have to say, it hasn't tasted bad.  It is amazing how quickly people can blow something up and pressure the groceries to change their practices.