Apr 18, 2012 2 min read

A controversial beef filler known as “pink slime” is not being served to students at local school districts in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), according to food service officials.

The product, officially called “Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB),” is made from fat trimmings left over from other cuts and treated with ammonia to kill bacteria.

“I knew it had existed, but didn’t know the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) used it consistently,” said Sherry Kottke, food service director in the Brownsville Area School District.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the school lunch program, announced recently it would adjust requirements so schools can choose whether or not to order ground beef with or without the product after parents and consumer advocates requested it be removed from public schools.

Kottke, along with food service officials representing the Connellsville Area, Frazier, Laurel Highlands and Uniontown Area school distrticts confirmed they are not using or plan to purchase any ground beef with LFTB.

Kathy Davanzo, food service director in the Albert Gallatin Area School District, could not be reached for comment.

On average, the USDA purchases about 20 percent of the products served in schools across the country, while 80 percent of school districts order through private vendors.

Since 1990, LFTB has been permitted as a component of the ground beef purchased by the USDA distributed through the school lunch program.

Schools, however, would have no way of knowing until now whether or not the beef they ordered contained LFTB because it is not labeled on the cartons.