Schools: No Beef Trimmings (Pink Slime) in Cafeterias

The meat served in cafeterias in Bernards Township schools does not include boneless lean beef trimmings, so-called "pink slime," according to an associate district manager with ARAMARK Education. ARAMARK handles food service for all township schools.

The issue was raised by parents at a meeting Wednesday morning sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Organization.

The WAMS PTO had invited ARAMARK representatives to the meeting to discuss making healthy choices in school cafeterias. Parents asked questions about many subjects, including whether students could sample some of the healthy items being added to school menus.

Later, Debra H. Smith, associate district manager with ARAMARK Education, said that Aramark purchases its meats on the school district’s behalf from approved suppliers, none of whom use the BLBT (boneless lean beef trimmings).

Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has come under criticism for purchasing seven million pounds of the ammonia-treated beef trimmings for inclusion in distributed school lunches.

Smith said the state of New Jersey allows school districts to select how their commodity dollars will be allocated. The state's School Lunch Commodity Distribution Program reimburses school districts and other providers for their participation in a variety of nutritional programs aimed at improving the diets of children, according to the website for the N.J. Department of Agriculture.

Bernards Township schools did not choose to receive any of the donated government beef, Smith said in an email later on Wednesday.