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FACT BRIEF

Did McDonald's lose a legal battle with chef Jamie Oliver over lean finely textured beef treated with ammonium hydroxide?

By Sarah Thompson
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NO

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver did not win a legal battle with McDonald's over the byproduct, known as "pink slime." He did draw attention to it in 2011. McDonald's then dropped it from their burgers but maintained the decision was not brought about by "any particular event."

Between 2009 and 2012, media outlets raised concerns about the sterilization process, which involves spraying ammonium hydroxide gas on lean finely textured beef to raise its alkalinity and control bacteria. NBC incorrectly suggested—as Oliver did—that ammonium hydroxide was poured over the meat product as a liquid.

Ammonium hydroxide is used in the production of many foods: cheeses, puddings, chocolate, and as a leavening agent in breads. The FDA affirms it as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) in appropriate concentrations. The additive is banned in Canada and the EU.

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
CBS News McDonald's drops 'pink slime' beef (2012)
International Food Information Council Foundation Questions and Answers about Ammonium Hydroxide Use in Food Production
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.