Cargill, one of the world's largest beef processors, will begin labeling its finely textured beef used in the making of its U.S. ground beef products, the company told Reuters on Tuesday.
According to Reuters, the move by the U.S. meat manufacturer comes after an increase in demand for more transparency in how the company makes the food people eat and how the products are disclosed on the packaging. Cargill stated the new ground-beef packaging, came after the agribusiness firm surveyed more than 3,000 consumers over the past 18 months about their views on ground beef and how it's made.
The debate has reportedly been rolling for months. Cargill's finely textured beef is made from chunks of beef, including trimmings, and exposed to citric acid to kill E. coli and other dangerous contaminants. The product, which Cargill has made since 1993, is used to produce higher-volume, less fatty ground beef. Over that period, Cargill said it saw demand for its "finely textured beef" drop by 80 percent.
"We've listened to the public, as well as our customers, and that is why today we are declaring our commitment to labeling Finely Textured Beef," said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef, in a statement.
Cargill's new packaging will state this product "Contains Finely Textured Beef" on boxes of ground beef that retailers repackage for sale to the public, company officials said. By next year's grilling season, Cargill plans to have the same language printed on its branded packages of ground beef that are sold directly to consumers.
