4 ms·

I guess people are worried about uneducated and poor who don't or can't think about the difference. For example, where fast food chains previously might be unh

by PakG1 8y ago

I guess people are worried about uneducated and poor who don't or can't think about the difference. For example, where fast food chains previously might be unhealthy but still OK, this might tip the scales closer towards not OK. If you're knowledgeable enough to make an informed decision and also can afford to take the time to grind your own meat, people probably aren't worried about you.

jeffdavis 8y ago
What are the bad consequences of this "pink slime"? Is it worse for you than a ribeye steak? What makes it not OK?
- Pharmakon 8y ago
  It is much higher in fat, and much lower in protein than meat. It also contains pulverized bone, nerve tissue and more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat This puree includes bone, bone marrow, skin, nerves, blood vessels, and the scraps of meat remaining on the bones. The resulting product is a blend primarily consisting of tissues not generally considered meat along with a much smaller amount of actual meat (muscle tissue). Of course the final product depends on how it’s processed. A lot of the time the stuff is centrifuged to remove fat, in which case it’s used as filler. If you’ve ever eaten a cheap chicken nugget and tasted something off, that’s what it is. So nutrition aside it’s disgusting, and is generally only found in heavily processed foods with a ton of salt and sugar in them; nothing less will make it palatable. You’re never going to find the stuff in any food that isn’t terrible for you. If you have concerns about prion diseases like BSE then it’s also a concern, since the processing is unlikely to destroy prions.
  - zdragnar 8y ago
    I don't think that's what this is. In fact, the particular product in question is leaner than ground beef, and added to ground beef to get it qualified as "lean". If it's not in the posted article, it's in the linked article (which I cited in my original comment).
    - Pharmakon 8y ago
      As I said, A lot of the time the stuff is centrifuged to remove fat, in which case it’s used as filler. It’s the same product, it’s just processed more, but it’s taken off the carcass the same way, and you still get to enjoy that lovely spinal cord. Colloquially the full fat product is “white slime” and the centrifuged and ammoniated product is “pink slime”.
      - hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
        It is not the same product, at all. The linked Wikipedia article that you posted quotes the USDA regulations which are clear that mechanically separated beef is not permitted for human consumption. On the contrary, "pink slime", or lean finely textured beef, is made from the scraps and leftovers of (non-mechanically separated) beef, and is put into ground beef for humans.
        Pharmakon 8y ago
        Right, the difference between the two products is that the latter is the former, centrifuged and ammoniated.
      - ksec 8y ago
        It is not the same product. The product you mentioned are used in different areas for different purpose.
    - rgbrenner 8y ago
      No, it's the same thing. The beef trimmings they're referring to in the article are those left on the carcass after the meat has been removed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_meat_recovery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_meat_recovery
      - hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
        I realize the HackerNews guidelines disallow comments that begin with "Did you even read the article?!", but I have to wonder if that prohibition applies to comments that themselves post a link that directly contradicts what is being argued. That exact link you posted states: > USDA regulations for procurement of frozen fresh ground beef products state that "Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning systems, advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) systems or powered knives, will not be allowed". Mechanically separated meat is NOT the same thing as "pink slime", and the specific reasons that MSM is not allowed for humans (danger of mad cow disease) does not apply to "pink slime".
  - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
    > This puree includes bone, bone marrow, skin, nerves, blood vessels, and the scraps of meat remaining on the bones. Is there something inherently wrong with eating any of this stuff? People eat heart, liver, kidney. I can’t see how bone and skin, or blood vessels could be bad for you.
    - fucking_tragedy 8y ago
      Nerve tissues can carry prion diseases. Here's a study[1] on bovine prions in peripheral nerve tissue. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321908/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321908/
      - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
        Genuine question: does regular muscle meat contain any nerves? I was under the impression all of our muscles contain efferent neurons to deliver motor control signals and afferent neurons to send back stretch reception signals / proprioception / pain. But I wouldn't know exactly where these nerve fibres are located and if they're completely removed from regular cuts of meat. Another question is: do the prions accumulate and remain in the main body (soma) of the nerve cell, or do the prions diffuse throughout the axons and dendrites of the nerve cells. If prions remain within the soma, then removing nerve ganglia from products intended for human consumption or animal feed would, one supposes, limit the spread of prions.
        fucking_tragedy 8y ago
        I'm not sure of the answers to either of your questions, sorry. I'm just aware that bones contain a high amount of nerve tissue, and therefore have a higher probability of transferring prions to whomever consumes them.
  - dawnerd 8y ago
    That's a totally different product than pink slime. Your first statement alone is incorrect.
  - DrScump 8y ago
    Read the article you linked more carefully. MSM from cattle cannot be sold for human consumption in the UK or US.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago
I don't think it even has anything to do with being uneducated or poor, although they will likely be hit the hardest because they cannot shop at the fancy organic markets / Whole Foods where this sort of business practice is not even considered. I should be able to shop at a normal grocery store and know what I'm purchasing, regardless of wealth or education level.

by PakG1 8y ago

jeffdavis 8y ago

What are the bad consequences of this "pink slime"? Is it worse for you than a ribeye steak? What makes it not OK?

Pharmakon 8y ago
It is much higher in fat, and much lower in protein than meat. It also contains pulverized bone, nerve tissue and more. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat This puree includes bone, bone marrow, skin, nerves, blood vessels, and the scraps of meat remaining on the bones. The resulting product is a blend primarily consisting of tissues not generally considered meat along with a much smaller amount of actual meat (muscle tissue). Of course the final product depends on how it’s processed. A lot of the time the stuff is centrifuged to remove fat, in which case it’s used as filler. If you’ve ever eaten a cheap chicken nugget and tasted something off, that’s what it is. So nutrition aside it’s disgusting, and is generally only found in heavily processed foods with a ton of salt and sugar in them; nothing less will make it palatable. You’re never going to find the stuff in any food that isn’t terrible for you. If you have concerns about prion diseases like BSE then it’s also a concern, since the processing is unlikely to destroy prions.
- zdragnar 8y ago
  I don't think that's what this is. In fact, the particular product in question is leaner than ground beef, and added to ground beef to get it qualified as "lean". If it's not in the posted article, it's in the linked article (which I cited in my original comment).
  - Pharmakon 8y ago
    As I said, A lot of the time the stuff is centrifuged to remove fat, in which case it’s used as filler. It’s the same product, it’s just processed more, but it’s taken off the carcass the same way, and you still get to enjoy that lovely spinal cord. Colloquially the full fat product is “white slime” and the centrifuged and ammoniated product is “pink slime”.
    - hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
      It is not the same product, at all. The linked Wikipedia article that you posted quotes the USDA regulations which are clear that mechanically separated beef is not permitted for human consumption. On the contrary, "pink slime", or lean finely textured beef, is made from the scraps and leftovers of (non-mechanically separated) beef, and is put into ground beef for humans.
      - Pharmakon 8y ago
        Right, the difference between the two products is that the latter is the former, centrifuged and ammoniated.
    - ksec 8y ago
      It is not the same product. The product you mentioned are used in different areas for different purpose.
  - rgbrenner 8y ago
    No, it's the same thing. The beef trimmings they're referring to in the article are those left on the carcass after the meat has been removed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_meat_recovery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_meat_recovery
    - hn_throwaway_99 8y ago
      I realize the HackerNews guidelines disallow comments that begin with "Did you even read the article?!", but I have to wonder if that prohibition applies to comments that themselves post a link that directly contradicts what is being argued. That exact link you posted states: > USDA regulations for procurement of frozen fresh ground beef products state that "Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning systems, advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) systems or powered knives, will not be allowed". Mechanically separated meat is NOT the same thing as "pink slime", and the specific reasons that MSM is not allowed for humans (danger of mad cow disease) does not apply to "pink slime".
- TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
  > This puree includes bone, bone marrow, skin, nerves, blood vessels, and the scraps of meat remaining on the bones. Is there something inherently wrong with eating any of this stuff? People eat heart, liver, kidney. I can’t see how bone and skin, or blood vessels could be bad for you.
  - fucking_tragedy 8y ago
    Nerve tissues can carry prion diseases. Here's a study[1] on bovine prions in peripheral nerve tissue. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321908/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3321908/
    - TheSpiceIsLife 8y ago
      Genuine question: does regular muscle meat contain any nerves? I was under the impression all of our muscles contain efferent neurons to deliver motor control signals and afferent neurons to send back stretch reception signals / proprioception / pain. But I wouldn't know exactly where these nerve fibres are located and if they're completely removed from regular cuts of meat. Another question is: do the prions accumulate and remain in the main body (soma) of the nerve cell, or do the prions diffuse throughout the axons and dendrites of the nerve cells. If prions remain within the soma, then removing nerve ganglia from products intended for human consumption or animal feed would, one supposes, limit the spread of prions.
      - fucking_tragedy 8y ago
        I'm not sure of the answers to either of your questions, sorry. I'm just aware that bones contain a high amount of nerve tissue, and therefore have a higher probability of transferring prions to whomever consumes them.
- dawnerd 8y ago
  That's a totally different product than pink slime. Your first statement alone is incorrect.
- DrScump 8y ago
  Read the article you linked more carefully. MSM from cattle cannot be sold for human consumption in the UK or US.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 8y ago

I don't think it even has anything to do with being uneducated or poor, although they will likely be hit the hardest because they cannot shop at the fancy organic markets / Whole Foods where this sort of business practice is not even considered. I should be able to shop at a normal grocery store and know what I'm purchasing, regardless of wealth or education level.