# Think "Pink Slime" Disgusting? What About Sausages and Hotdogs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636 "2012-03-23T20:22:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/1 "2012-03-23T20:22:59Z")
The use of chemically treated meat scraps seems a bit overblown-sausge makers have been using all kinds of scraps, organ meats, etc. for a long time. I can see people getting teed off-if they think they are buying only ground beef. But in the end, its all protein. My question: a lot of local chains have announced that they will no longer sell ground beef with “pink slime” added-so where will this stuff wind up? I vote for hot dogs. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/2 "2012-03-23T22:03:33Z")
It seems to me like the chemicals are the issue, not the scraps. People seem to believe that the chemicals can cause illness. I am pretty all right with eating meat from any part of an animal as long as it is delicious. ---
**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/3 "2012-03-24T22:59:05Z")
I’m mostly bothered by the fact that they were using “fillers” in their ground beef. When I buy ground beef at the supermarket, I expect it to be freshly ground on the premises. I don’t expect them to add 10 or 15 percent frozen bricks of cheap processed meat. With sausage, I have much lower expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/4 "2012-03-25T02:28:58Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > It seems to me like the chemicals are the issue, not the scraps. People seem to believe that the chemicals can cause illness. > > I am pretty all right with eating meat from any part of an animal as long as it is delicious. [There is some truth to that](http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20100517/processed-meat-linked-to-heart-disease-risks), at least for the stuff they put in sausages and hot dogs and any other meat that doesn’t have to be frozen (and in [some cases](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salami), not even refrigerated). Ammonia however appears to be much safer than nitrites and other curing chemicals, in the concentrations present. Also, “pink slime” isn’t the only [use for ammonia](http://www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Questions_and_Answers_about_Ammonium_Hydroxide_Use_in_Food_Production) in food: > [@](#): > > The list of foods in which ammonium hydroxide is used as a direct food additive is extensive and includes baked goods, cheeses, chocolates, other confectionery (e.g., caramel), and puddings. Ammonium hydroxide is also used as an antimicrobial agent in meat products. > > Ammonia in other forms (e.g., ammonium sulfate, ammonium alginate) is used in condiments, relishes, soy protein concentrates/isolates, snack foods, jams and jellies, and non-alcoholic beverages. > > The World Health Organization has listed hundreds of food types that may be processed using ammonium hydroxide when used in accordance with good manufacturing practices. These include dairy products, confections, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, breakfast cereals, eggs, fish, beverages such as sports drinks and beer, and meats. That pretty much covers anything one might eat on any given day. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/5 "2012-03-25T03:56:21Z")
> [@ExcitedIdiot](#): > > I’m mostly bothered by the fact that they were using “fillers” in their ground beef. When I buy ground beef at the supermarket, I expect it to be freshly ground on the premises. I don’t expect them to add 10 or 15 percent frozen bricks of cheap processed meat. > > With sausage, I have much lower expectations. This is my problem with it. I’m willing to eat pink slime from time to time, hell, I eat a couple mcribs every time they come out, but if I’m paying for something that I think is fresh ground beef then I expect to get just that. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/6 "2012-03-25T04:17:03Z")
If anything, we need MORE pink slime hidden in everything. People get all up in arms about GMO foods, but few realize that pretty much anything made with soy or corn products is GMO now. If pink slime were in EVERYTHING, then maybe people would stop caring so much. Pink slime for you, and for me! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/7 "2012-03-25T04:52:40Z")
I’ve avoided pink slime and the like for years. In itself, it is more prone to bacteria and disease than, say, a t-bone steak. Treating it with ammonia is supposed to be a process that solves that problem. I really get a kick out of the recent news recording where they big-processor says that the food is exposed to a “puff” of ammonia. What the hell is a puff of ammonia? I am just a proponent of buying your meat locally and knowing your supplier. It wasn’t the pink slime issue that kept me away from mass-produced ground beef. It was manure-filled feedlots and the fact that meat from one sick cow can be mixed with the meat of healthy animals to feed or poison thousands of people. The way I buy my beef, only a few people are likely to get hurt by a sick cow because that cow’s muscle is not being mixed with other cow’s muscle when being turned into ground beef. And, I feel, that the sick cow being turned into food is less likely to happen in the first place because the farmer I buy my beef from knows her herd well. She doesn’t have 10,000 head of cattle. The most she’s ever had was 40. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/8 "2012-03-25T11:35:57Z")
I am reminded of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”-a pioneering piece of muckraking, which exposed the practices of the meatpacking industry. Back then, they did frind up all the leftovers, scraps, etc., and put them into sausages. Mybe we need a new update of “The Jungle”. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/9 "2012-03-25T11:40:17Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > I am reminded of Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”-a pioneering piece of muckraking, which exposed the practices of the meatpacking industry. > Back then, they did frind up all the leftovers, scraps, etc., and put them into sausages. > Mybe we need a new update of “The Jungle”. Eric Schlosser has done this and brilliantly. It’s 12 years old now but read [Fast Food Nation](http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455) (ignore the movie). It’s astonishingly well researched. ---
**Author:** ![Crab\_Rangoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Crab\_Rangoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crab_Rangoon)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/10 "2012-03-25T13:20:04Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > I’ve avoided pink slime and the like for years. In itself, it is more prone to bacteria and disease than, say, a t-bone steak. Treating it with ammonia is supposed to be a process that solves that problem. I really get a kick out of the recent news recording where they big-processor says that the food is exposed to a “puff” of ammonia. What the hell is a puff of ammonia? > > I am just a proponent of buying your meat locally and knowing your supplier. It wasn’t the pink slime issue that kept me away from mass-produced ground beef. It was manure-filled feedlots and the fact that meat from one sick cow can be mixed with the meat of healthy animals to feed or poison thousands of people. > > The way I buy my beef, only a few people are likely to get hurt by a sick cow because that cow’s muscle is not being mixed with other cow’s muscle when being turned into ground beef. And, I feel, that the sick cow being turned into food is less likely to happen in the first place because the farmer I buy my beef from knows her herd well. She doesn’t have 10,000 head of cattle. The most she’s ever had was 40. EXACTLY! We get our beef and pork and chicken from local farmers with small farms too. The real problem with the pink slime is not so much the fact that they treat it with ammonia (although EEWWWWW), but the fact that they have to because it contains so much dangerous (antibiotic-resistant) bacteria due to the feedlot and butchering practices in which the cows are subjected to when alive/killed. Also- the taste of the local meat is so amazingly good - I never order beef at a restaurant because I know we can cook our own at home and it will be so much better. I am also uncomfortable ordering any meat dish (well maybe the occasional chicken dish) at a restaurant, because I don’t know where the meat came from. And I found FOOD INC to be an enlightening movie as well - I can’t comment on how well-researched it was. ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/11 "2012-03-26T00:23:27Z")
Isn’t “white slime” - i.e. the same sorts of byproducts and assorted fillers from chickens what we eat as chicken nuggets after it has been breaded and deep fried? Nobody seems to mind that. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/12 "2012-03-26T01:07:07Z")
I’ve never heard the phrase “white slime” but that is the stuff of which chicken nuggets are made. ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/13 "2012-03-26T01:10:15Z")
Having made sausage, I can tell you that ammonia is not needed to kill the germs in the meat used to produce it. So that’s not really a useful or relevant comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/14 "2012-03-26T08:35:18Z")
> [@mister\_nyx](#): > > Having made sausage, I can tell you that ammonia is not needed to kill the germs in the meat used to produce it. So what kind of chemical or process _is_ needed to kill them? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/15 "2012-03-26T09:05:09Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > So what kind of chemical or process _is_ needed to kill them? Nitrites. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/16 "2012-03-26T17:56:28Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Nitrites. Shouldn’t heat be enough (it even destroys botulinum toxin) without having to use chemicals, and storage in a freezer enough to prevent bacterial growth? Most meat that can be just refrigerated has nitrites, but since they are precooked, they are essentially sterile (yes, it can go bad after being opened, but so can any food). I don’t know of many people (in other words, nobody) who eat raw meat… ---
**Author:** ![mister\_nyx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@mister\_nyx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mister_nyx)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/17 "2012-03-26T18:08:14Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Nitrites. Not really. Nitrites used in curing meat may have some small on bacterial growth, but they’re not there as a disinfectant. They change the color and flavor of the meat. In cured sausages, the growth of certain beneficial bacteria is part of producing them, so sterilizing the meat would be counterproductive. This stuff may or may not make the food supply more dangerous but it’s definitely not analogous to traditional curing, as ralph124c’s post implies. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/18 "2012-03-26T23:15:06Z")
The answer is heat. Boil those puppies or stick 'em on the grill. Though if the sausage is smoked, the smoke might give the bacteria lung cancer and kill it that way. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/19 "2012-03-26T23:22:58Z")
It’s all pretty gross, but I do eat ground beef and sausage now and then. Never cared for hot dogs. I guess that’s downright unAmerican, but IMHO most of them just aren’t very good. The high-end ones are okay, but at that price I may as well eat an actual cut of meat. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636/20 "2012-03-27T21:11:28Z")
For those worried about pink slime, here’s some good news: > [@](#): > > [U.S. ‘pink slime’ factories shut down amid outcry](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/03/26/u-s-pink-slime-factories-shut-down-amid-outcry/) > > Three factories that made so-called “pink slime” beef filler have shut down since public outcry about the ammonia-treated substance began last month, The Associated Press reported Monday. > > Beef Products Inc. spokesman Craig Letch told AP that only one factory in the country, located in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, is still producing the stuff. Three others, in Texas, Iowa and Kansas, have reportedly been shut down. Now only if that last factory were closed, it would no longer be used at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/think-pink-slime-disgusting-what-about-sausages-and-hotdogs/616636.md?page=2)