June 5—The U.S. Department of Agriculture says all but three states participating in its National School Lunch Program have opted to order ground beef that doesn't contain the product known as lean finely textured beef aka "pink slime."
Only three states—Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota—chose to order beef that may contain the filler.
The product has been used for decades and federal regulators say it's safe to eat. It nevertheless became the center of national attention after the nickname "pink slime" was quoted in a New York Times article on the safety of meat processing methods. The filler is made of fatty bits of beef that are heated then treated with a puff of ammonia to kill bacteria.