It is our position with the outbreak of pink slime reports, it is time we pay more attention to where our meat is coming from. The term pink slime was first coined by Dr. Gerald Zirnstein to describe the process of taking trimmings from beef and combining them. The trimming mixture is then soaked in ammonium hydroxide to raise the pH levels and kill off any E. coli. The mixture is then added to ground beef as a filler, which will help keep prices low.

The term pink slime brings images of something that might be seen in a “Ghostbusters” movie, but has never been proven to be any worse than the meat used in chicken nuggets. While the slime may not be as harmful as imagined, we think it’s a good time to look at purchasing meat from local butchers or grocers.

A number of local butchers in the area provide meat that has not been artificially altered in any way. Butchers such as Joe’s Butcher Shop & Fish Market, Moody’s Butcher Shop, Archer’s Meats & Catering and if you’re craving something different, you can go to Bison World and get different bison meat products.