Agricultural News
Bill Rupp of JBS- The Controversy Over Pink Slime Should Scare the Heck Out of Those in the Beef Business
Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:34:57 CDT
It was a topic of much conversation- even as some cattle producers refused to use the slang term that has questioned the safety of ground beef across the country. Lean Fine Textured Beef- or LFTB for short- has become a huge headache for the beef industry because of some focused media attention on what a former USDA scientist has called Pink Slime. The name sounds bad- and primarily ABC news has decided the process produces adulterated product, because of the use of Amonium hydroxide in a gas form to control pathogens like e-coli. Add in a celebrity chef or two- lots of social media chatter- and you have consumers asking questions that retailers and quick service food chains are fleeing from as quickly as they can.
Wendy's leads the pack when it comes to throwing the industry under the bus, as they bought full page ads in several newspapers on Friday- including USA Today, saying that they have only "pure beef" that has never been treated with ammonia.
The Wendy's ad, USDA's relatively late response to the crisis and where the industry goes from here were all a part of the discussion on pink slime at the 135th annual convention of the TSCRA in Ft. Worth on Saturday. Bill Rupp of JBS Beef Divison in the United States tackled the subject during a panel discussion on what the beef industry will look like in 2027- he believes that the industry is facing one of the most serious challenges it has seen in several years, based on the concerns of the public versus what the reality of this process that actually could be considered an environmentally friendly process that captures the last pounds of pure beef from the carcass and delivers it to those who are mixing ground beef in a safe manner.
You can hear his answer to a question brought forward from the cattle producer audience by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below and checking out our Monday Beef Buzz.
You can also hear his presentation during the opening general session at the TSCRA meeting as he offered his thoughts on what the beef business will look like in 2027- click here for Bill Rupp's presentation in Ft. Worth.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network- but is also a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show- and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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