Pink Slime

Here is an email response I just received.

Hello Jo,
Your recent inquiry which you submitted to the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada website was forwarded to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) because of the CFIA's role in food safety.
Ammonia processing for meat products is not approved for use in Canada. All food sold in Canada, domestic and imported, must meet Canadian food safety standards.  These standards are established by Health Canada and enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
The Food and Drug Regulations establish standards for ground beef and other meat products that look like ground beef.
B.14.078. No person shall sell a food that consists of a mixture of meat product and meat product extender and that resembles regular ground beef, medium ground beef or lean ground beef, unless that food
(a) has a total protein content of not less than 16 percent;
(b) has a fat content of
(i) not more than 30 per cent, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981, in the case where the product is represented as being regular,
(ii) not more than 23 per cent, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981, in the case where the product is represented as being medium, or
(iii) not more than 17 per cent, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981, in the case where the product is represented as being lean; and
(c) in respect of the meat product extender, meets the requirements of paragraphs B.14.073(a) to (c).
B.14.015. [S]. Regular Ground Beef shall be beef meat processed by grinding and shall contain not more than 30 per cent beef fat, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981.
B.14.015A. [S]. Medium Ground Beef shall be beef meat processed by grinding and shall contain not more than 23 per cent beef fat, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981.
B.14.015B. [S]. Lean Ground Beef shall be beef meat processed by grinding and shall contain not more than 17 per cent beef fat, as determined by official method FO-33, Determination of Fat in Meat and Simulated Meat Products, October 15, 1981.
Here is a link to the Food and Drug Regulations:
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/C.R.C.,_c._870/index.html
Thank you for using the CFIA web site.

I can keep my ground beef.