When asked, “Should the U.S. beef industry begin labeling ground beef that is ammoniated,” a good majority of producers said the labels should happen.

Of 122 votes logged, 61 percent said, “Yes, consumers should know how ground beef is processed.” Just over 38 percent said, “No, the USDA has already deemed it safe.”

FTLB is a lean beef product taken from cuts that require separation from fat, and would require almost surgeon-like cutting to get to the beef. So the beef is heated to separate the lean portion, and then treated with a small amount of ammonium hydroxide gas. The lean beef is then added to ground beef to raise the amount of lean in packaging.

The process has been intensely criticized and led the industry to defend its use in retail meat cases and in USDA school lunches. Due to the controversy, packers of ground beef gained permission from USDA in March to voluntarily begin labeling beef with or without the lean products.

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