BREAKING NEWS - McDonalds and Other Fast Food Chains Stop Using Household Cleaner "Ammonium Hydroxide" in Beef Additive

McDonald's said this week that it was no longer using the controversial ground beef additive known as "pink slime" in its hamburger recipe. Taco Bell and Burger King have also reportedly repudiated the "slime," which consists of spare beef trimmings that have been treated with ammonium hydroxide to make them safe and at least semi-palatable.

Apparently, the move came after "Food Revolution" and "Naked Chef" star Jamie Oliver made public calls for chains to abandon the "slime," which has been manufactured by Beef Products Inc since 2001. Some are pointing to his advocacy as a central factor behind McDonald's decision.

And Jamie wasn't the only critic of "pink slime". The New York Times raised serious doubts about "pink slime" in a 2009 investigation of the product. It was also criticized in the 2010 documentary "Food Inc."

Part of the criticism stems from a general sense of disgust. People don't like hearing that they're eating spare trimmings of beef from strange parts of a cow. Nor, for that matter, do people like to hear that they're eating ammonia.

The USDA, for its part, approved of the ammoniated beef trimmings. In 2007, when it mandated increased testing for most ground beef, it specifically exempted "pink slime," even though the ammoniated beef comes from the parts of the cow most likely to harbor pathogens. The USDA argued that the beef's ammonia treatment would kill any bacteria lingering in the beef.

I want to give a big thanks to Jamie Oliver for putting the heat on McDonald's and other fast food chains to get rid of the "slim" in their burger recipe. Why on earth do we need a recipe for ground beef anyway. Shouldn't you just take some beef, grind it, and grill it? Maybe add a little sea salt and ground black pepper to taste - hold the ammonium hydroxide please. Then put it on a bun with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. It appears that many fast food joints feel that putting three more cents per pound in their pocket is more important than risking our health with salmonella and E. coli. I'd say we show them what's more important to us.


Another win for Whole Foods!!!! Keep on the heat Jamie.