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Friday, Dec. 24, 2021

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

Sarah Thompson, Lead Stories
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.

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