Maker of Pink Slime Thinks It's Owed $1.2 Billion for the Term Pink Slime

The maker of the product widely known as "pink slime" wants $1.2 billion from ABC News, which it says unfairly spread the notion that the product known officially as "lean, finely textured beef" was unsafe.

The maker of the product widely known as "pink slime" wants $1.2 billion from ABC News, which it says unfairly spread the notion that the product known officially as "lean, finely textured beef" was unsafe. Beef Products, Inc. says ABC's coverage of its widely used beef byproduct amounted to a "misinformation campaign" that forced it to close three of its four U.S. plants and lay off 650 workers as McDonalds and major supermarket chains stopped carrying the product. The main issue here is that catchy, catchy name. The lawsuit, filed in South Dakota, alleges the "pink slime" monicker "caused consumers to believe that our lean beef is not beef at all," the Associated Press reports. And it names not just ABC News and anchor Dianne Sawyer, but the Departure of Agriculture microbiologist who came up with the term "pink slime" in the first place. ABC, for its part, issued a 10-word response on its site: "The lawsuit is without merit. We will contest it vigorously."