Pink Slime in Your Beef?

At the Pizza tour a few weeks ago, Scott talked about the way in which US Mozzarella has its water water content replaced with oil.  This is allows the cheese to remain fresh longer, but it also is the reason why a real NY slice often ends in a burned mouth.

In recent weeks there have been a series of articles on 'Pink Slime', a kind of processed meat:

"The “pink slime” is made by gathering waste trimmings, simmering them at low heat so the fat separates easily from the muscle, and spinning the trimmings using a centrifuge to complete the separation. Next, the mixture is sent through pipes where it is sprayed with ammonia gas to kill bacteria. The process is completed by packaging the meat into bricks. Then, it is frozen and shipped to grocery stores and meat packers, where it is added to most ground beef." - ABC News (includes a video).

The 'Pink Slime' product looks kind of like a Mr. Softie Ice-cream.

Although I don't mind eating cheese with extra oil, I'm not sure I'd like to eat something that used to look like that.  Matt Yglesias at the Slate has some interesting comments on the jobs related to the production of this beef here and here.