MCPS Ditches 'Pink Slime' For 2012-13 School Year

Montgomery County Public Schools will join many other companies and organizations in ceasing the use of Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB)—also known as "pink slime"—in its school lunches for the 2012-13 school year, MCPS spokesman Dana Tofig said.

MCPS currently gets its beef for school lunches from two sources, contracted vendors and the federal government's commodities program, Tofig told Patch. 

Only one of MCPS's vendors uses LFTB in processing, Tofig said, adding some of the processors used by the commodities program use it as well.

"After this year, we will be opting out of purchasing or receiving any items that uses [LFTB] and we are adjusting the bids we have for our own vendors to indicate that it shouldn't be used," Tofig wrote in an email.

Fairfax County Public Schools spokesman John Torre told Fairfax City Patch Friday, March 23 that when the current inventory is gone. 

"'Pink slime' is beef trimmings. Once only used in dog food and cooking oil, the trimmings are now sprayed with ammonia so they are safe to eat and added to most ground beef as a cheaper filler," according to an ABC report.

they would no longer stock their shelves with the "pink slime" beef, and .

A former United States Department of Agriculture scientist told ABC that 70 percent of the beef purchased at American supermarkets contains LFTB.

What do you think of the MCPS decision to discontinue the use of meat products that contain "pink slime" for the 2012-13 school year? Tell us in the comments!