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'Pink slime' maker halts some plants

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'Pink slime,' aka boneless lean beef trimmings
In this undated image released by Beef Products Inc., boneless lean beef trimmings are shown before packaging. The debate over "pink slime" in chopped beef is hitting critical mass. The term, adopted by opponents of "lean finely textured beef," describes the processed trimmings cleansed with ammonia and commonly mixed into ground meat. Federal regulators say it meets standards for food safety.
AP Photo/Beef Products Inc.

By BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The company that makes "pink slime" is suspending operations at three of four plants where the low-cost beef filler is made amid a public outcry over concern about the ingredient.

Beef Products Inc. spokesman Craig Letch on Monday told The Associated Press about the operations suspensions at plants in Texas, Kansas and Iowa ahead of a public announcement about the plan. The company's plant at its Dakota Dunes, S.D., headquarters will continue operations.

The ammonia-treated ingredient known by the industry as "lean, finely textured beef" has been used for years but recently became a target of activists seeking to have it banned from supermarkets and school lunches. The U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to allow school districts to stop using it. Some retail chains have pulled products containing it.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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'Pink slime,' aka boneless lean beef trimmings
In this undated image released by Beef Products Inc., boneless lean beef trimmings are shown before packaging. The debate over "pink slime" in chopped beef is hitting critical mass. The term, adopted by opponents of "lean finely textured beef," describes the processed trimmings cleansed with ammonia and commonly mixed into ground meat. Federal regulators say it meets standards for food safety.
AP Photo/Beef Products Inc.