Why ABC News Is Facing a Jury Over ‘Pink Slime’: QuickTake Q&A

Walt Disney Co.’s ABC News is heading to trial in South Dakota, where the network faces as much as $5.7 billion in potential damages over allegations that it made false and misleading statements about the food additive “pink slime” in a 2012 series of reports. Beef Products Inc., a closely held company based in South Dakota, said the coverage caused sales to plummet, costing the company $1.9 billion and forcing layoffs.

It’s an unflattering nickname for lean, finely textured beef, or LFTB. ABC News reported in 2012 that the product was added as a filler to 70 percent of the ground beef sold in U.S. supermarkets to reduce the overall fat content, though this wasn’t disclosed on the labels. It’s made from trimmings -- smaller pieces of fat that contain bits of beef -- that are heated and spun to separate out the meat, much like cream from milk. Ammonia and water are used in processing to control harmful bacteria by raising PH levels. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it’s safe to consume. A USDA microbiologist, in the early 2000s, coined “pink slime” in an email about BPI’s product.