Dems push for 'pink slime' labeling requirement

House Democrats have introduced legislation that would require packages of meat to be labeled accordingly if they contain lean finely textured beef, also known as "pink slime."

"Consumers have made it pretty clear they don't want this stuff in their food," said Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), the lead sponsor of the bill. "If a product contains connective tissue and beef scraps and has been treated with ammonia, you ought to be able to know that when you pick it up in the grocery store."

"Pink slime" is a mixture of beef scraps treated with ammonia that is used as filler and can kill bacteria. Pingree and other members have been fighting to keep beef containing pink slime out of schools. In March, Pingree and dozens of other House members called on Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to ban its use in school cafeterias, following a decision by some fast-food chains to stop using it.

The Requiring Easy and Accurate Labeling of Beef (REAL Beef) Act, H.R. 4346, would amend the Federal Meat Inspection Act to require the labeling of all beef that contains lean finely textured beef.

"This is about choice and transparency," Pingree said Friday. "Parents and consumers want to choose whether or not they serve pink slime, but they can't do that unless they know whether or not it's in the product they are buying."

The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), John Lewis (D-Ga.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).