No 'Pink Slime' in Glen Rock School Lunches, District Says

A chemical-treated beef product that's caused an uproar nationwide is not found in any food products in borough schools, the Glen Rock school district said Monday.

Known as "pink slime" to critics, many school districts and grocery stores nationwide have stopped carrying "Lean Finely Texturized Beef," meat filler treated with ammonium-hydroxide to kill E. Coli, Salmonella and other pathogens, then mixed with ground beef. It's believed to be in approximately 70 percent of American lean ground beef.

Officially, the product is classified as safe for human consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) but its presence in lunches has aroused the concern of millions. The USDA does not require products containing 'pink slime' to have any specific label noting its presence.

In a statement released Monday, Glen Rock schools said they were assured by the president of its food services provider, Pomptonian Food Service, that "none of this product" has been used in the Glen Rock lunch program.

"The product has been used by food suppliers to school districts that participate in the National School Lunch Program," the statement read. "The Glen Rock School District is not a participant in that program and has not received these foods."

An online petition collected hundreds of thousands of signatures and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver dedicated a television show to the believed dangers of what he called "inedible" 'pink slime' bits.

The manufacturer, Beef Products Inc., closed three processing plants on Monday, the Associated Press reported.

The GRPS district says Pomptonian contacted its beef suppliers to determine if the 'pink slime' (named by a whistleblower ex-USDA scientist) had ever been used in school lunches. Per Pomptonian, it had not. School officials say they'll keep it that way.

"We are confident in the information we have received from Pomptonian and are pleased to share its findings with the public," said schools superintendent David Verducci in the statement. "We would also like to assure the public that LFTB will not enter into our lunch program in the future."

District spokeswoman Andrea Tahinos said several parents have asked about the possibility LFTB could be in various products eaten by students.

"And while it hasn’t surfaced as a huge concern, we wanted everyone to know what the situation is in the district given the mass media attention LFTB has received," she said.

Asked what grade the meat in the schools is graded, Tahinos referred comment to the USDA.

Pomptonian has been the district's food company provider since 2009.