With nowhere else to turn after detergents appeared on the scene, rendering houses gave up the soap business and turned to making feed out of animals – parts of animals, sick animals, animals that died for unknown reasons.  This ended up being a handy way to increase the protein level of an animal’s diet.  What a nifty idea – turning herbivores into carnivores.

This practice has contributed to the contagious nature of Mad Cow disease, formally known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).  The human version of Mad Cow disease, called Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD), results in a horrible death.  It basically eats away at its victim’s brain, creating holes that ultimately look like a sponge. 

Many people are very surprised to hear that CJD has a long incubation period, from 10 to 30 years, after which it brings about dementia and finally death.  That means that the meat you eat today can affect you 30 years from now!  New studies also suggest that a percentage of Alzheimer’s victims have actually had CJD.  That is a frightening thought! 

You can rest assured that the meat you buy from The Healthy Butcher is Mad-Cow-free.