There's been a lot of talk about McDonald's and its pink slime. The restaurant chain recently dropped the beef trimmings processed with ammonium hydroxide, or pink slime as it's been renamed, from its menus.

The use of this chemical is nothing new. District 51 purchases many of its foods for schools from the USDA Food Commodities Program. Some of those foods go through processes with ammonium hydroxide to kill bacteria. This process is USDA approved, but the school district offers students plenty of healthy alternatives if they're uncomfortable with this process.

It's lunchtime, for some, the best part of the day.

"All of our [schools], especially our elementary schools provide lots of options for kids and in secondary, there's even greater a la carte options for students," School District 51 director of communications Jeff Kirtland said.

Elementary schools in School District 51 give students plenty of options.

"We've got mac-n-cheese today, we've had turkey and gravy, salads. Yogurt and fruit is an option on a daily basis," Kirtland said.

District 51 participates in the USDA Food Commodities Program.

"There are foods that are purchased by all sorts of organizations," Kirtland said.

And so some of these organizations send their food, like beef, through a process with ammonium hydroxide.

"Most other ingredients or items don't use that [ammonium hydroxide] process. It's mainly used in beef, because beef is typically the source where you typically would run into e-coli or some of those other issues," School District 51 director of nutrition services Dan Sharp said.

Sharp says the process is USDA and FDA approved, and that it's meant to ensure there's no bacteria or E-coli left in the food.

"Now yes, it's safe. But it is better nutrient wise for the kids to have a true 100 percent all organic food," Sharp said.

That's why the district, like others across the state, are looking to go toward a more organic and locally grown menu. Already District 51 is serving milk produced by Delta ranchers as well as locally grown fruits and veggies.

"Our ultimate hope is that we could buy beef from Western Colorado ranchers here in the state and then be able to get that processed locally to get it in the schools," Sharp said.

That would include beef that doesn't go through this ammonium hydroxide process. But an organic menu isn't cost effective yet. Until it is, parents still have plenty of healthy options available for their students at school.

The school district says if it was to switch over to an organic menu for elementary schools today, parents could be looking at a $7 lunch compared to the $2 they pay now. District 51 says the ammonium hydroxide process is used on foods found in grocery stores and restaurants in addition to those beef products at school.