Credit: NorthIowaToday.com
Oh, to be a beef producer that has to slaughter 1.5 million more head of cattle and raise prices on poor consumers to accommodate retailers and school lunch programs that no longer wish to add the pink-slime-ammonium-hydroxide-laced additive that makes ground beef leaner.
And, guess who’s to blame? WE ARE!
We are the consumers who sit around all day on social media channels attacking this brand and that brand with our onslaught of detractions to effect change in the corporate world that has been doing the same thing for 20 years to unsuspecting families.
Alas. Social media is the corporation’s nemesis; well, it’s only the nemesis for those organizations that have something to hide, right?
I don’t eat red meat; I’m a flexitarian (look, Microsoft Word doesn’t even recognize that word) – I’ll eat meat on occasion, but I prefer to be a veg head – that’s what I crave (some say it’s because my blood type is A+ … the grades I got in school every day). I digress.
We’re talking about the pink slime debacle that the USDA is saying will cost…WAIT! There isn’t a cost in the Wall Street Journal article today; did that reporter fall down on his job? I bet he tried to get a price tag beyond “effectively slaughtering 1.5 million more cattle” to add to the story.
Hmm, can you put a price tag on healthier eating versus the risk of ingesting ammonium hydroxide filler in cheap cuts of meat sold by lower-value grocers to people without ability to purchase high-priced organic health foods for their families?
So, five governors in states that produce this poorly-labeled-and-pummeled (waahh) pink slime filler are lining up to defend “this unwarranted, unmerited food scare” according to the Governor of Iowa Terry Branstad alongside Texas Governor Rick Perry. They’ve both vowed to eat the product…hurray!
What’s missing from the story that also has the Nebraska governor upended is the number of jobs at risk for suspension of pink slime production (in Texas and Iowa, as well). I’m sure the reporter asked that question, too; after all, this is the Wall Street Journal reporting.
And, so, dear friends and consumers who sit around all day writing blog posts, posting detractions on social media and essentially rabble-rousing the entire population of Americans against an industry that has long functioned without consumer watchdogs…keep on. No sense crying over spilled pink milk, eh?
I, for one, applaud you.
Interesting post, Jayme! What I love about social media is the freedom of EVERYONE to share their viewpoints and concerns. On this particular issue, however, I’m much more inclined to agree with my good friend @DallasAnne319 about the “Pink Slime” issue. You can read her blog post here: https://dallasanne319.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-your-meat-its-beef-not-slime.html
Interesting post, Jayme! What I love about social media is the freedom of EVERYONE to share their viewpoints and concerns. It is nice that consumers have a place to vent their concerns and bring about changes.
In this particular case, however, I’m much more inclined to agree with my good friend @DallasAnne319 about the “Pink Slime” issue. You can read her blog post here: https://dallasanne319.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-your-meat-its-beef-not-slime.html
While everyone is allowed to share their viewpoints on social media, I would strongly suggest that people make sure they get the facts straight before sharing information with the masses. My personal issue with Jamie Oliver’s popular video about “Pink Slime” is that it included several false impressions about the actual process of producing Boneless Lean Beef Trimmings and Lean Finely Textured Beef. For instance, the Ammonia used in the process isn’t regular household ammonia and it is used in a very small proportion.
I feel that we as bloggers and contributors to the online news world should have to abide by the same ethics as other journalists (i.e. the SPJ Code of Ethics). First and foremost, we should Seek Truth and Report it. Lots of people who are screaming about pink slime are so mis-informed about the issue that they wouldn’t know the truth if it truth slapped them in the face . . . It is important then for people to dig a little deeper and ensure that they are actually apprised of the situation before they start a fracas and get millions of people fired from their jobs.
Just the opinion of a girl who loves a good burger!
Rebekah
rebekahbowen.wordpress.com
@beka_dawn @DallasAnne319 Points well taken. There ARE always two sides to the issue…seeing yet another pink slime story in the WSJ. I’m heading over to read Dallas Anne. Thanks for sharing.
Great post, Jayme! While I usually tend to agree with you, I have to go with @beka_dawn here and say that social media is a lot like playing telephone in high school. It’s a great place to bring what are really serious concerns to the forefront, it’s also a place for information to get lost. Look at the Spike Lee situation that’s going on. He grabbed and RTed a fake tweet and now he’s catching a lot of grief for it (rightly so, IMO).
I would also add to the overall topic of “pink slime” that the image being presented (the one you’ve used as well on this post) is actually created from poultry and has nothing to do with the beef industry. The ammonia hydroxide used in the sanitation of the lean beef trimmings is a combination that occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, and even humans. It’s also used in a number of other food products (chocolate, for example).
I hope that your post will at least get people searching out the fallacies in the story that is being reported. The stuff in your image is still gross but is a complete misrepresentation.
@Maranda @beka_dawn OK! Excellent responses and great feedback from both of you. In fact, I’m glad I presented the post as I did b/c you both came to share more factual representations from in-depth analysis of the issue…so, a flip approach becomes teachable. Thanks!
@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing @Maranda @beka_dawn actually…. https://www.snopes.com/food/prepare/msm.asp (no, I don’t know why I know this stuff). personally I think we could all do with eating less meat but 1) Atkins & Cavemen aren’t helping and 2) I don’t want to go all political up in your blog.
@jennwhinnem @Maranda @beka_dawn Either we eat meat or we don’t. Regardless of your choices, there ARE things in our food supply we have no concept about.
What this situation has done is raise consciousness for everyone, encouraging analysis, and allow people to look at their own food choices. When I look at what’s being served at Burger King called chicken (with holes in the “meat”), that’s where my choice for my family is “woah.”
There’s justification; those deeply informed as the three of you are provide impressive information for all.
Being from Iowa, I can tell you that I will probably never be able to give up eating meat. I just like it too much. That said, my wife and I have decided to start “buying a cow”. Meaning, we buy a bovine from a local farmer, have it processed locally, and then freeze the meat. I don’t know about the coasts, but this is a fairly common practice here in the Midwest. With the advent of warm weather, I’m looking forward to buying vegetables from the local Farmer’s Market as opposed to the grocery store.
@MattLaCasse We did the same when I lived as a kid on a Wisconsin farm, Matt. Hogs and beef; still have memories of that taste and never again will it be the same. Great seeing you here today!
So, what started out as a blog post about the power of social media to make the public aware of what might otherwise remain hidden (in this case, “pink slime” in our ground beef) has instead turned into a warning about believing whatever the media reports and using social media to spread false or incomplete information! Great comments, everyone. Thanks to @jennwhinnem for the Snopes article, and thanks to @beka_dawnfor the blog post! I learned a lot about my food today — and I do feel better about it.
@New England Multimedia @jennwhinnem @beka_dawn Hah! You are so right. I had no intention of diving into the issue but I did subject myself to it as soon as I wrote the first word. Thank you for noticing and commenting.
Well Jamie, I do think LFTB has gotten a bum wrap. Information slime slung around the Web big on opinion and short on facts. Consumers are absolutely entitled to know what they are buying and products should be marked in plain language that’s easy to understand. I think LFTB got nailed because some very passionate people focused on it, but it’s likely most of the stuff we eat these days — including veggie burgers — would scare the snitzels out of most people if they knew how it was processed. Personally, I try to stay away from anything that’s processed; seems to me that’s the best route to go, but I’m not losing sleep over concerns I may have ingested LFTB at one time or another. Besides after all the countries I’ve been to now, and some of the crazy things I’ve eaten (or eaten off of) I think my old tummy can handle just about anything.
@Frank_Strong thank you for coming by today Frank. You are right about processed foods; we need to stay away from stuff in a box. What this whole issue has done is to make people a bit more informed.