Wow! I was so honored to be asked to be a part of the ARWB Blogger of the Month series. I don’t know where I would be without the wonderful ladies of the Arkansas Women Bloggers. They have been such a great support network to me.

I’m Janeal. I’m a meat scientist – yes. That’s a thing. On my blog, Mom at the Meat Counter, I write about meat and the meat industry from the perspective of a mom meat scientist. I write about concerns people have with meat safety, questions about labels, packaging, the way the animals were raised, and lots about meat processing

Why do I blog? 

I became a mom 7 years ago. Until it happens, you may not realize that when you become a mom, you join this special club, the Mom Club. Moms help each other out. All moms. From your own mom, to your sisters and aunts, your mother-in-law, friends, moms at church, moms at school, even random moms in the grocery store line or in the airport are willing to help each other. 

Moms are full of great advice. When you become a mom you question everything, and, thank goodness, there are hundreds of other moms full of knowledge and willing to give you advice because they’ve been there.  It may be about diapers or baby clothes, breast feeding (or not), schools, day care, toys, tons of stuff. When I became a mom, I joined this special club and found this community of women, helping each other, giving advice, and I wanted to do something to contribute. 

That brings me to the blog.

Moms have lots of questions about the food they feed their families. People today are bombarded with loads of information about food, where it comes from, how animals are raised, and if it’s safe. So much of this information can sound so scary, and it’s so hard to know what’s true. That’s where I found my way to contribute to other moms.

People hear really scary things about meat and the way it’s raised and processed. These things may or may not be true.  So, I started writing as the Mom at the Meat Counter, to help people feel better about the food they feed their families. I have the expertise in this area, and I want to share what I know with other moms. 

Many times, I’ve been at the meat counter in grocery store and I find myself answering people’s questions about the meat they are buying. Answering questions like, “What does Natural mean?” or “What is all this I hear about pink slime?” I just imagined them going home to tell their families about the advice they got from that Mom at the Meat Counter who seemed to know about meat.  

My favorite posts are the ones that came from people’s questions. So I love comments and questions about meat and the meat industry. Ask me anything that may be on your mind. No question is off-limits. If you’re worried about something concerning meat, ask me. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find someone that does.

I work at the University of Arkansas in the Department of Animal Science and I love to help students learn about the industry. My husband, Ed, is also a meat scientist and works for Tyson foods. We have two girls, Vallie (7) and Wyn (2). When we aren’t taking #meatcounterselfies, we are herding cows and our 3 sheep, watching football, or spending time with our families. 

My social media feeds are mostly meat, cows, a few sheep and lots of pictures of my kids.

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