Beef Products Inc. (BPI), described as the nation’s top producer of lean finely textured beef - now known popularly as “pink slime” - said yesterday that it will permanently close three plants where it previously has suspended operations in the wake of the controversy over ammonia-treated beef filler.
The plants are in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo, Iowa. BPI’s South Sioux City, Nebraska, plant will continue to operate at a reduced capacity, the company said.
Reuters reports that the closures will result in more than 650 people losing their jobs.
"While we had hoped to be able to resume operation at those plants, that is not going to be possible in the immediate future and the temporary suspension of operations will in fact result in the elimination of those jobs effective May 25, 2012," the company said in a statement.
Numerous retailers - big and small - stopped using the lean finely textured beef when the controversy erupted, and were very public about disavowing usage of it in their ground beef.
The plants are in Amarillo, Texas; Garden City, Kansas; and Waterloo, Iowa. BPI’s South Sioux City, Nebraska, plant will continue to operate at a reduced capacity, the company said.
Reuters reports that the closures will result in more than 650 people losing their jobs.
"While we had hoped to be able to resume operation at those plants, that is not going to be possible in the immediate future and the temporary suspension of operations will in fact result in the elimination of those jobs effective May 25, 2012," the company said in a statement.
Numerous retailers - big and small - stopped using the lean finely textured beef when the controversy erupted, and were very public about disavowing usage of it in their ground beef.
- KC's View:
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One can feel awful about 650 people losing their jobs and still feel that the pink slime issue was one ultimately created by a lack of transparency by manufacturers and retailers. We’re living in a world where technology creates transparency, and transparency potentially creates problems for any company not being up-front about its products and services.
