Wal-Mart Considers Dropping Pink Slime

There seems to be no end to the saga of the meat product dubbed “pink slime”. Despite the fact that Americans (and other places in the western world) have been chowing down on the stuff for years, a few stories over the past few months have pushed the issue right into the forefront of the nation's collective mind. According to CBS, several of the largest supermarket chains in the country have announced that they are dropping the product, and now other chains including BJ's Wholesale Club and Giant Food Stores are following suit. Now, Wal-Mart WMT has also said that it planning on carrying alternatives. At the moment, WMT is just making the right noises, but if it were to move away from the slime, the strategy will help the company's faltering public image. The pink slime is made from fatty trimmings and by-products of meat left over from better-quality cuts. The “parts” are heated top roughly 100 degrees Fahrenheit and then spun to remove the majority of the fat. The mix is compressed into blocks and exposed to ammonium hydroxide gas to kill bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. WMT issued a statement on Thursday to say that it will updated products on the shelves as soon as possible, and that staff are primed to tell customers about the new products.