[4] In December 2009, The New York Times reported that as early as 2003, school lunch officials and other customers had complained that the product tasted and smelled like ammonia, after which the company devised a plan to make a less alkaline version.
[5] In 2012, after a series of ABC News reports, concern amongst the public led McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wal-Mart, Safeway, and several other grocery stores to abandon the product.
[9] The United States Department of Agriculture issued a statement supporting the product's safety,[10] and the company launched a public relations offensive with the help of governors Rick Perry, Terry Branstad, and Sam Brownback, who joined ABC News on a tour of the remaining plant.
[12] BPI was a major supplier to McDonald's and Burger King,[4] as well as restaurants and grocery stores, and its products were reportedly used in 75% of the United States' hamburger patties in 2008.
[15] In this process, beef trimmings are warmed, put through a centrifuge to remove fat, then treated with ammonia to increase pH and kill bacteria.