Dive Brief:

• Cargill has begun labeling meat products that contain "finely textured beef" well ahead of the deadline set in November. 
• The move comes in response to consumer demand for transparency, according to Cargill. News reports in 2012 about the use of "pink slime" in ground beef led to consumer outrage.
• Cargill has also launched a website, cargillgroundbeef.com, which consumers can use to trace the origins of a package of beef.

Dive Insight:

We have to admire Cargill for getting in front of the "pink slime" scandal.

First, the company did a good job early on in pointing out that its "finely textured beef" used citric acid to kill pathogens, as opposed to the ammonium hydroxide used by Beef Products Inc. Now it's using labels, QR codes, a website, and a traceability system accessible to consumers to hammer home its we've-got-nothing-to-hide message.