LFTB vs Pink Slime on Iowa State University Campus Today

While local and national beef experts will explain the science behind lean, finely textured beef or pink slime, in a on campus today, family farmers and ranchers will be outside the building explaining how this scientific process and the politicization of it has affected their livelihoods.

ISU agriculture students, activists, Food Democracy Now! members, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement members, Occupy Ames and Occupy ISU will rally outside Kildee Hall starting at 1:30 p.m. the organizations said in a press release late Tuesday.

While ammonia treated meat has been allowed as a beef filler for several years, the issue came to a head when the USDA announced that it would order 7 million pounds of the meat containing the beef filler for the National School Lunch Program.

“Transparency, knowledge and choice - that is what consumers need in their spending decisions,” said Chris Petersen, a farmer from Clear Lake and Iowa Farmers Union president in a prepared statement about the rally. “The facts are now coming in and once again people are questioning our food system blessed by the FDA and USDA and a lot of politicians influenced by processors, industrial agriculture, lobbyists and campaign contributions.”

Dave Murphy, of Clear Lake and Food Democracy Now! founder and executive director, said the ammonia treated meat scrap process hurts farmers because it reduces the demand for beef cattle.

“Real farmers and cattle producers don’t support the use of pink slime in school lunches or our food supply. Not only does it suppress the price farmers receive for their cattle, but it also debases the quality of their product, something they take a lot of pride in producing,” Murphy said in a statement.