As a follow up to my previous blog, Pink Slime and Politics, I noticed an editorial in The NY Times this past Sunday titled, What if It weren’t called Pink Slime? Author Philip M. Boffey argues rather convincingly, that the biggest problem with  lean finely textured beef a.k.a. Pink Slime was not the product, but the power of negative branding and the power of the media. The hamburger ingredient itself according to the article is safe, nutritious, and relatively inexpensive.

However, the fact remains that B.P.I. (Beef Products Inc.) has closed 3 of 4 factories and despite its impeccable record with the U.S. Agriculture department, B.P.I. is a long way from restoring our confidence in their product. A rose by any other name might still be a rose, but when a product gets rebranded from estate tax to death tax, or from finely textured beef to pink slime it is just too tough for us to swallow.