Small Fry

In the world of mass-produced food, “pink slime” plays a crucial role. Coined by a former meat inspector and USDA microbiologist named Gerald Zirnstein, the term refers to beef trimmings melted into a paste and treated with ammonium hydroxide. “It’s pink. It’s pasty. And it’s slimy looking,” said Zirnstein, explaining his thinking. The technical term for pink slime—which, in raw form, resembles strawberry soft serve—is lean, finely textured beef, also known as LFTB; for years, McDonald’s, among many other high-volume purveyors of beef, used it as filler in hamburger meat. In 2011, in response to a storm of media coverage and public concern over pink slime, McDonald’s USA announced that it had stopped using the substance. “We wanted to be consistent with our global beef supply chain,” the company cryptically explained. Meat-industry leaders were quick to point out that many foods contain ammonia, including cheese. “Sometimes ingredient names sound more complicated than they are,” a Kraft spokesperson piped up in defense. In other words, sometimes food doesn’t sound like food, and at a fast-food restaurant, its preparation doesn’t look like cooking.