OMAHA, Neb. — The main producer of “pink slime” and the politicians defending the company will have a hard time persuading consumers and grocery stores to accept the product, even if the processed beef trimmings are as safe as the industry insists.

Three governors and two lieutenant governors plan to tour the Beef Products plant in South Sioux City, Neb., today to show their support for the company and the several thousand jobs it creates in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.

Beef Products, the main producer of the cheap lean beef made from fatty bits of meat left over from other cuts, has drawn extra scrutiny because of concerns about the ammonium hydroxide it treats meat with to slightly change the acidity of the beef and kill bacteria. The company suspended operations at plants in Texas, Kansas and Iowa this week, affecting 650 jobs, but it defends its product as safe.

While the official name is finely textured beef, critics dub it “pink slime” and say it’s an unappetizing example of industrialized food production. That term was coined by a federal microbiologist grossed out by it, but the product meets federal food safety standards and has been used for years.

Larry Smith, with the Institute for Crisis Management public relations firm, said he’s not sure the makers of pink slime — including Cargill and Tyson Foods — will be able to overcome the public stigma against their product at this point.

“I can’t think of a single solitary message that a manufacturer could use that would resonate with anybody right now,” Smith said.

The politicians who plan to tour the BPI plant — including Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy and South Dakota Lt. Gov. Matt Michels — all agree with the industry view that pink slime has been unfairly maligned and mislabeled.

National Meat Association spokesman Jeremy Russell said if consumers insist on eliminating this product from ground beef, prices will go up and lean beef trimmings will have to be imported to replace it. The process of creating lean, finely textured beef yields 12 to 15 pounds of extra meat per animal.

Russell said the pink slime outcry has already hurt BPI and other meat companies, and could eventually hurt the price ranchers and feedlots receive for cattle.