Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie announced Thursday they will join the growing list of store chains that no longer will sell beef that includes an additive with the unappetizing moniker “pink slime.”
“Customer reaction in response to recent reports on lean finely textured beef have put into question the USDA-approved process,” the grocers said in a statement.
Federal regulators say the ammonia-treated filler meets food safety standards. But critics say the product could be unsafe and is an unappetizing example of industrialized food production.
The Kroger Co., the nation’s largest traditional grocer with 2,435 supermarkets in 31 states, also said it will stop buying the beef, reversing itself after saying Wednesday that it would sell beef both with and without the additive.
Earlier Thursday, Stop & Shop said that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said the product is safe for consumption, it will stop selling the beef because of customer concerns. Stop & Shop is a unit of Dutch supermarkets owner Royal Ahold NV and operates 400 stores in the Northeast U.S.