ABC News Sued Over “Pink Slime” Defamation

Sep 13, 2012

Beef Products Inc. Sues ABC News Over “Pink Slime” Coverage

ABC News is being sued by Beef Products Inc. for defamation over its coverage of a meat product often referred to “pink slime” also known in the beef industry as lean finely textured beef. It’s used as a food additive in ground beef and beef-based processed meat. The South Dakota based company is seeking $1.2 billion in damages for 200 defamatory statements about the product, saying that the network misled consumers into believing that the product was unhealthy and unsafe.

The news network isn’t only under fire but also several individuals, including ABC news anchor Diane Sawyer and a microbiologist who coined the term “pink slime.” The following is an excerpt from the company’s official announcement about the lawsuit. ABC’s lawyer – Jeffrey Schneider said that the “lawsuit is without merit” and that they will “contest it vigorously".

Following the coverage, the company had to close three out of its four U.S. plants, lying off over 650 people. The company is claiming that they lost 80 percent of their business in less than a month. The product is supported by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and he has publically said that the government wouldn’t allow the product for human consumption if it wasn’t safe and was approved back in 2004.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.