Federal regulators have said the ingredient meets standards for food safety and doesn’t have to be labeled as an ingredient. And estimates of its use have ranged as high as 70 percent of ground beef products before last year’s controversy erupted.
READ: The Healthiest Foods You Shouldn’t Be Eating
Before the use of finely textured beef became a controversial issue, Cargill processed about 200 million pounds of the ingredient each year, said Michael Martin, a company spokesman. But volume sank by about 80 percent after the public outcry, which prompted retailers to ask Cargill to provide meat without it.
Since then, however, Martin said volume is back up to about 50 percent.
“Our research shows that consumers believe ground beef products containing Finely Textured Beef should be clearly labeled,” said John Keating, Cargill Beef president said in a statement regarding Tuesday’s announcement.
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