Wendy's says its beef is 'pink slime'-free (2024)

Wendy's says its beef is 'pink slime'-free (1)

Wendy's says its beef is 'pink slime'-free (3)

(CBS/AP) DUBLIN, Ohio — Wendy's Co. (WEN) ran full-page advertisem*nts in eight major newspapers across the country Friday, reassuring customers that it has never used the beef filler known as "pink slime" and never will.

It is the latest company to publicly speak out against the controversial filler, known in the industry as lean, finely textured beef, as public concern about it grows.

Wendy's ran ads in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times and other publications, letting its customers know the company only uses 100 percent beef from North American-raised cattle with no additives, fillers, preservatives or flavor boosters.

"We've never used what some are calling `pink slime,' because it doesn't meet our high quality standards," Wendy's President and CEO Emil Brolick said.

The low-cost filler is made from leftover bits of meat that are processed to remove most of the fat, treated with ammonia to kill bacteria and then mixed into fattier meats to produce overall leaner product.

Federal regulators say the product meets food safety standards, but critics say it's an unappetizing example of industrialized food production.

Public scrutiny has been building for some time, McDonald's Corp. (MCD) announced last year that it would no longer use ammonia-treated beef. It hit new highs recently after the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided that school districts may opt to stop using it. Consumers, schools and a number of national grocery chains said they'd stop using the product. And the company that makes the filler, Beef Products Inc., on Monday suspended operations at nearly all of its plants where the filler is made, saying public uproar hurt its business.

Meat industry proponents and lawmakers from states that once produced the product have spoken out in support, trying to assuage concern and bring business back.

Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini said the restaurant chain has fielded a number of customer questions and wanted to set the record straight.

The company, based in Dublin, Ohio, recently surpassed Burger King to become the second-largest hamburger chain in the U.S. it runs more than 6,500 restaurants worldwide.

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Wendy's says its beef is 'pink slime'-free (2024)

FAQs

Wendy's says its beef is 'pink slime'-free? ›

"We've never used what some are calling `pink slime,' because it doesn't meet our high quality standards," Wendy's President and CEO Emil Brolick said.

Does Wendy's use pink slime in their burgers? ›

We've never used 'pink slime,' and we never will,” the ad says. “Pink slime” is a low-cost filler that has been used for years to lower the overall fat content of ground beef. While consumers have grown alarmed by the filler, it isn't dangerous, government officials and grocery chains say.

Does all ground beef have pink slime? ›

The lean finely textured beef is added to ground beef as a filler or to reduce the overall fat content of ground beef. In March 2012 about 70% of ground beef sold in US supermarkets contained the product. It is also used as a filler in hot dogs produced in the United States.

What stores use pink slime in meat? ›

There are big supermarkets that don't add pink slime. According to The Daily, Whole Foods and Costco have said they do not sell meat with pink slime. The stores that sell store-ground meat with pink slime, according to the Daily, are Target, Safeway, Walmart, and Albertsons.

Does Walmart use pink slime in meat? ›

Wal-Mart And Grocers To Offer Beef Without 'Pink Slime' : The Salt Wal-Mart has become the latest food retailer to announce that it's making changes after listening to customer concerns about lean finely textured beef, known by detractors as "pink slime."

How can you tell if beef has pink slime? ›

So how can you know if you're eating this additive? Simply look for the term "finely textured beef" or just "textured beef." That's the popular name for pink slime today, according to meat packer Cargill. The beef processing operation offers that juicy tidbit and more on the website GroundBeefAnswers.com.

Does Burger King use pink slime? ›

Last year, after celebrity chef Jamie Oliver slammed the use of the filler in fast food burgers, McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King said they would stop using it. But it's still being used in school cafeterias across the country, reports the New York Times.

Does 70 of ground beef contain pink slime? ›

Report: 'Pink slime' in 70 percent of ground beef

Researchers say that 70 percent of ground beef found in supermarkets contains the cheap filler. A former U.S. Department of Agriculture Scientist says it's made up of the remnants of a cow carcass once all the muscular cuts of meat have been removed.

Are McDonald's chicken nuggets made out of pink slime? ›

No, our Chicken McNuggets® do not contain what some people call "pink slime" or "pink goop." We've seen the photo of "pink goop" or "pink slime" in association with McDonald's. Let's set the record straight: this image in connection with McDonald's is a myth.

Is pink slime unhealthy? ›

The meat industry defends that pink slime is in fact meat. The government says these ammonia-sprayed foods are safe to eat, but that doesn't make the chemical-treated meat any more appetizing to many consumers.

What kind of meat does Wendy's use in their hamburgers? ›

Square beef patties make it easy to know you're enjoying the very best hamburger for your buck: fresh, never frozen and made from 100% real beef. Our signature square hamburger patties have no fillers or additives because we know the beef is what matters when it comes to making the best hamburger in the game.

How to avoid pink slime? ›

Nobody wants to eat it, but it is not that easy to avoid. You will not find it on the label, because the government does not require that Pink Slime be labeled. But I have found a good way to avoid it—buy only grassfed hamburger, from a trusted source, preferably a small rancher.

Does Aldi hamburger have pink slime? ›

That's why Aldi has decided that we no longer will purchase ground beef made with this ingredient.” Lean finely textured beef or LFTB, which has come to be known by the nickname “pink slime,” has come under fire in recent weeks after reports that it is contained in nearly 70 percent of all ground beef sold in the U.S.

Does Aldi use pink slime? ›

Batavia-based Aldi Inc, in response to growing customer concerns, announced that it will no longer purchase ground beef made with lean finely textured beef — commonly known as “pink slime” -- although the U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved it as safe and wholesome beef.

Does Jack in the Box use pink slime? ›

Jack in the BoxJack in the Box is another fast food chain that claims to have ended the use of pink-slime-infected beef and states on their website, “We only use 100 percent pure beef in our hamburgers.”

What does Wendy's use in their hamburgers? ›

Square beef patties make it easy to know you're enjoying the very best hamburger for your buck: fresh, never frozen and made from 100% real beef. Our signature square hamburger patties have no fillers or additives, because we know the beef is what matters when it comes to making the best hamburger in the game.

Which fast food restaurants use pink slime? ›

It turns out that McDonald's nuggets have actually been pink slime-free since 2003 when they switched over to all white, non-mechanically separated chicken parts, but the Golden Arches' burgers still contained a beef variety of the "pink slime." And Burger King and Taco Bell were using the mechanically separated beef, ...

What are the ingredients in Wendy's hamburger patties? ›

Hamburger Patty: Ground Beef, Salt. HAMBURGER PATTIES ARE COOKED ON THE SAME GRILL AS AND MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH INGREDIENTS THAT CONTAIN MILK AND SOY.

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