Pink slime, the ammonia-treated filler substance made with beef scraps, was once reserved for dog food before corrupted regulators changed the rules. But a recent media firestorm has reignited the controversy, leaving many people asking why the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not require groceries, school cafeterias, or restaurants to disclose which products contain the mystery meat. Now with the battle over whether to require companies to disclose which food products contain this substance, it’s worth taking a more in-depth look at how the pink slime industry is again flexing its lobbying muscle.

Here’s how the pink slime industry buys influence:

– 1. Increasing Lobbying Spending: Pink slime company Beef Products Inc. has more than quadrupled federal lobbying expenditures since 2009. Pink slime makers also lobby through the American Meat Institute, a multimillion-dollar trade association that retains several firms on K Street along with its own advocacy staff.

– 2. Hiring Public Relations Firms To Aggressively Rebrand Pink Slime: Beef Products Inc. recently hired the public relations company Ketchum to lash back at critics. Our blog has confirmed that Ketchum operates the pro-pink slime websites BeefIsBeef.com and PinkSlimeIsAMyth.com. Gaius Publius, a writer for America Blog, caught anonymous commenters on his site using the same IP address who were sending readers to the Beef Products Inc. PR website.

– 3. Using Front Groups To Smear ...