UPDATE: The USDA has now agreed to give schools the choice to opt out of "pink slime" meat. Though this is a great step, many schools still have trouble finding alternatives in their area. Step up the pressure: tell the USDA that the only acceptable meat for kids is one with NO fatty slaughterhouse trimmings!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will buy 7 million pounds of ground beef treated with ammonia--also known as "pink slime"--for school lunches in the coming months. 

"Pink Slime" is produced by rinsing beef scraps and by-products normally relegated for dog food with ammonia hydroxide. The treatment had become the norm for fast-food restaurants, but after celebrity chef Jamie Oliver demonstrated the process, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King all agreed to stop selling "pink slime."

Act now to call on the USDA to do the right thing and extend the changes in school meal programs to include a ban on use of "pink slime" beef in school lunches. 

We the undersigned call on you to stop the use of "pink slime" beef in school lunch programs. 

The ground beef product is produced by rinsing beef scraps and by-products normally relegated for dog food with ammonia hydroxide. Though the treatment had become the norm for fast-food restaurants, Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Burger King have all recently agreed to stop selling "pink slime" beef. 

We applaud the meu changes the USDA has recently made to the school lunch program, but we ask that you continue improving the program by banning the use of ammonia-treated beef in school lunches. 

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.