The meat inspector who coined the term “pink slime” says he
regrets he said it and said it has made his life miserable.
He says the U.S. Department of Agriculture harassed him
about the comment to the point he left his job, then applied for work as a
consultant which proved to be a mistake.
Gerald Zimstein is the meat inspector who first called the
product made by Beef Products Inc. “pink slime” in 2002.
He still says it should be labeled
so consumers know what they’re buying.
The industry calls it finely-textured lean beef, but
Zimstein says it should be regulated and labeled as an additive.
“There’s
nothing simple about that topic, because you’re mixing in food science, food
safety, and economics,” Zirnstein told Meatingplace,
a meat-industry magazine that also runs a twice-daily website for industry news.
“It’s
about food safety, food quality, food labeling and economics,” Zimstein said.
Earlier
this week, the USDA said it will require companies to label products that
contain the product which is processed from trimmings that used to go for pet
food and rendering.
Health
Canada will not allow the product on the Canadian market, but that has done little to keep the economic impact from sliding over the border to impact packers and farmers.
