Meat seepage and discoloration from my grinder...is this OK?

[TaxMan]

I have a Kitchenaid grinder attachment that I use for all of my sausage. It's the only thing I've used, and I've only run about 30 lbs through it.

I've noticed is a couple things that I think could be issues, though.

o - First is that when I'm grinding, I get a meat paste that finds its way between the plate and the plastic ring that holds it against the blade. I can tighten the ring as much as I want, up to the point of binding the motor up and I still get this. Is it just something to deal with?

I typically just wipe it off and put it in with the rest of the meat, but it is warmer than the meat coming off the end of the grinder, and it just feels kind of gross. Is there something I should be doing differently, either with how I deal with the paste or to prevent it?

o - Second, when I'm grinding, every few minutes I get a little chunk of ground meat that is VERY dark gray/blackish colored coming off of the center of the grinding plate. Right where the nipple of the auger seats into the plate.

Is that anything to fret about? In the few batches I've made, I've tried to pay attention to that little chunk of colored meat and snatch it out of the batch before mixing seasoning in, but I don't know if it's normal to get so much metal wear that I can actually see it (several times) in each batch that I make.

Is this just alarmist garbage or should I worry about either of these issues?