Last night I was interviewed for the lead story on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, in which Senior National Correspondent Jim Avila reported that several major grocery chains will discontinue the sale of ground beef containing Lean Beef Trimmings.
The chains include Safeway (the country’s second largest, after Kroger), Food Lion and Supervalu (the third largest, operating Acme, Albertsons, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, Hornbacher’s, Jewel-Osco, Lucky, Shaw’s/Star Market, Shop ‘n Save and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy). Walmart and Sam’s Club stores will begin offering beef without LBT, while Kroger has issued a statement regarding which of its ground beef offerings are free of LBT and will provide this information to its meat departments.
Here’s more on the story from ABC’s website, and you can see the actual Diane Sawyer video here. (But don’t blink or you’ll miss me! 🙂 )
Meanwhile, the other huge headline yesterday is that New York City schools will no longer offer meat with LBT to students, as of next fall. In making this decision, NYC schools follow the lead of Boston, Memphis and Miami-Dade, along with districts which never used LBT or which ceased using it long before our Change.org petition was launched — including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and my own district, Houston.
So if USDA’s response to our petition was less than 100% satisfactory, it’s clear that local grassroots efforts around the country are making up for any deficiencies in the outcome. Parents and other consumers are voicing loud opposition to the unlabeled use of Lean Beef Trimmings in ground beef, and schools and stores around the country are obviously listening and changing their practices.
It’s a truly remarkable outcome, and all the more so when you recall that our petition was launched on The Lunch Tray only sixteen days ago today.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Bettina Elias Siegel
Tammy says
Yeah! Just goes to show you that we all can make a difference! What are you going to take on next Miss Bettina!?! 🙂 Just kidding! I know how much time this has taken. Seriously, well done! It really does show the power one can have to make change effective!
Larry says
Congratulations,
You have now raised the price tax payers must pay for ground beef for the National School Lunch Program. You have now raised the price I and other consumers must pay for ground beef.
Five million more cows must be raised and fed to supplement the perfectly good beef you insist must be thrown away. Landfills will be filled with perfectly good beef.
Your lack of investigating what Lean Finely Textured Beef is and the process in which it is produced will lead to business closures and many hard working americans losing their jobs. I am in the industry, I know that Lean Finely Textured Beef is perfectly good beef because I eat it (the last 20+years), my kids eat it. My kids do not pack their lunch because I know that the USDA is doing an outstanding job assuring our kids are feed nutrious and safe foods. Look up actin and myosin. People with wasteful minds like you wish useful materials go to the landfills choking our enviroment make me sick. If you are interested in the facts about Lean Finely Textured Beef go to the American Meat Institude website and learn something.
Tammy says
If you want to eat Lean Finely Textured Beef go ahead but I deserve the right to CHOOSE what I’m eating and know what’s in the products that I eat. It’s common sense. On a side note, if there is nothing wrong with Lean Finely Textured Beef then why does the industry object to something as simple as labeling so that people can make the choice for themselves if they want to purchase it. I will gladly pay a little more for a quality product. Cheaper isn’t always better!
Larry says
It does not matter how industry wants a product labeled. The USDA regulates the labeling requirements, not industry. The USDA has ruled that the product is beef and should be labeled as such.
Kelly says
The chicken products should be next. The process is just as gross as pink slime. And our kids are fed some form of it 1-2 times a week. Chicken patties, tenders, nuggets, popcorn chicken. I don’t know how they can call these products nutrious. We pack because we know better. But I feel sorry for those who don’t know any better or are stuck with it.
Deborah Neyens says
Knowledge is power. Hy-Vee (in Iowa) just announced yesterday they are ceasing use of pink slime due to customer concerns. You rock, Bettina!
Tom says
Visit beefisbeef.com if you really want to know the whole truth.