Jamie Oliver, pink slime, and other meats

[Anonymous]

I just watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on DVR and am so disgusted at the "pink slime" they are putting in ground beef. I'd always known it was sort of a mystery meat - but ammonia?? We just ate chili made with ground beef the other night and I am ill just thinking about it.

I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow and had planned to get some chicken. I'm now wondering what they are doing to chicken these days before it gets to the grocery store. And for that matter, what is in sausage? Ground turkey? Ham? Bacon? Anyone know any good sites or articles on this stuff? I am seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian!

[Anonymous]

Stick with grass-fed, organic beef. Try getting your meat from Roots or somewhere. Skip the crap at Safeway. Roots actually even has a sign up by their sandwhiches explaining why the meat is a different color.

[Anonymous]

It's great that people are becoming aware of how their food is processed. Hope this leads to demands for change!

[Anonymous]

Seriously, Giant Food and Safeway: SOYLENT GREEN IS SHEEPLE! I am really tying to stick to healthier choices but it is so expensive. But I do Whole Paycheck organic whenever possible.

[Anonymous]

PP again - Limiting your meat meals is always a good idea either way. You don't have to go ALL vegetarian. Eggs are great. It's easy to find eggs from free-range chickens, etc.

We've gone to limiting meat at dinner to 3 out of 7 nights. It was an adjustment at first, but once you find some decent recipes, it's not that tough. And, it breaks the monotony of chicken breast every night!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously, Giant Food and Safeway: SOYLENT GREEN IS SHEEPLE! I am really tying to stick to healthier choices but it is so expensive. But I do Whole Paycheck organic whenever possible.

It is expensive, but if you're able to limit your meat consumption, that can help a ton. Mix in canned beans with your ground beef. Kids are fine with it, it stretches out your pound of ground beef & it gives you added fiber.

Plus, just stick with WF for just meat and dairy if you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stick with grass-fed, organic beef. Try getting your meat from Roots or somewhere. Skip the crap at Safeway. Roots actually even has a sign up by their sandwhiches explaining why the meat is a different color.

Wait, so you're saying that if the label says grass-fed, organic beef, then it hasn't been stretched with any of this pink slime crap? I watched Food Revolution the other night too and looked at my DH after that segment on the pink slime and said we need to start getting our meat ground in front of us by a butcher from now on. But if you're telling me that the grass-fed organic stuff doesn't have ammonia in it, that would obviously be an easier option. How does one find out for sure?

Seriously, after watching that show, I am very tempted to sign up for one of those farm CSAs that also delivers meat and chicken. I felt ill after watching. As much as I'm learning from the show, I do have to say I have some serious gripes about it as well. I read on televisionwithoutpity that Jamie's Kitchen, where supposedly he's going to help people learn how to cook and eat healthier, is in Westwood, which is apparently like the chevy chase of LA. Why wouldn't he open it in a poorer area where the obesity levels are higher?

[Anonymous]

I personally love this show. So are we safe with organic ground meat then?

[Anonymous]

Cathal Armstrong (Restuarant Eve) is opening a butcher in Old Town this year. It was originally supposed to go into the Del Ray area in 2009 but got postponed.

He's very committed to locally sourced, grass fed, organic meat. So I suspect when this opens it will be a good local source. As a bonus, you'll be able to buy wine and pastries at the shop.

[Anonymous]

Do you think that Let's Meat on the Avenue in Del Ray has ground beef that is ok?

[Anonymous]

grind your own beef:

http://www.amazon.com/Manual-Grinder-Mincer-Heavy-crank/dp/B004Q7K4G8

Not that hard and you'll know what's in it.

[Anonymous]

Might want to consider signing the petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/force-FDA-to-label-Pink-Slime-Ground-Beef/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Wait, so you're saying that if the label says grass-fed, organic beef, then it hasn't been stretched with any of this pink slime crap? I watched Food Revolution the other night too and looked at my DH after that segment on the pink slime and said we need to start getting our meat ground in front of us by a butcher from now on. But if you're telling me that the grass-fed organic stuff doesn't have ammonia in it, that would obviously be an easier option. How does one find out for sure?

Not a hundred percent sure, but my guess would be yes, that if it's grass-fed, organic, it's slime free.

They usually note on the package that there are no additives/no hormones, etc. You could probably ask. I find the people at Roots to be pretty helpful, and plan to ask the next time I go.

I don't buy anything but grass-fed, for tons of reason (more Omega-3, etc) so this is just one more reason. That's just disgusting.

[Anonymous]

PP again...

Sorry, meant to post this link:

http://www.grist.org/article/2010-07-30-ask-umbra-on-pink-slime-in-hamburger-meat

[Anonymous]

14:09 - thank you. I actually gagged about 15 seconds into reading that article.

We have debated for a while about doing Washington Green Grocer instead of a CSA--more control over what you get and no pick-up--but this might be the thing that convinces me, since they have semi-locally-raised, grass-fed beef (and other meats) available, too.

In case anyone else is interested: http://www.washingtonsgreengrocer.com/meat-and-poultry.htm