This week: ‘pink slime’

All together now: “Pink slime! Eeeuw!” Actually, looking at the picture, it’s probably worth repeating the all-American cheerleader noise for revulsion, but with added emphasis: “EEEEUUUUW!”

Banned in this country (and many others around the world), “pink slime” is the local vernacular for a kind of processed beef derivative used in many fast-food and school dinner outlets on the other side of the pond.

It’s very much on the naughty step this week for no other reason than it looks, well, utterly disgusting.

The substance - officially called “lean finely textured beef” and produced using ammonia - has been in the headlines Stateside this week after the US Department of Agriculture bowed to public pressure and announced that schools buying beef from central government would be allowed to purchase other “cuts”.

This tale, however, does throw up another naughty step nomination - that of the US broadcaster, ABC, which last May cancelled Jamie’s American Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver’s foray into the US telly business.

The show was binned after the TV chef had been banned from LA schools after such indiscretions as highlighting the presence of “pink slime” in the city’s dinner halls.

It’s enough to make one hanker for a Turkey Twizzler.