Buying local is buying food that is produced, grown, or raised here in Manitoba. It means that your food is processed in fewer locations, has to travel a shorter distance and is as fresh as possible by the time it reaches your plate.

"Food miles" is the distance a food item travels from the farm to your plate. A huge amount of fossil fuel is used to transport food to Manitoba from other provinces’ or countries. These fuels release carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants into the atmosphere contributing to our world’s pollution.

On top of the environmental harm caused by food transportation, huge industrial farms can produce a tremendous amount of air and water pollution. Here in Manitoba, the family farms that produce Keystone Processors meat are run by farmers who live on their land and work hard to preserve it.

The delicious, great tasting products of Keystone Processors travel only short distances to get you your home. This food is healthier than food produced by industrial farms because it does not spend days in trucks on Interstates or on store shelves losing nutrients.

Much of the meat found on your grocery store shelves comes from massive industrial operations that are more interested in feeding their shareholders than your family. To do that, products are often over processed and handled carelessly. At Keystone Processors, meat produced undergoes minimal processing. We age our Keystone Premium Beef for a minimum of 21 days and we make sure that everything we produce is something that we`d be proud to put on our own tables.

By supporting Keystone Processors, you are also supporting local farm families here in Manitoba which helps keep farmers on the land and preserve our beautiful open prairie spaces. It also helps build our local Manitoba economy, which benefits everyone.

Buying local makes good economic sense, too. When you buy products produced by local farms, your dollars are going directly to the farmers and their families rather than those of shippers, brokers, wholesalers and out of province (or out of country) meat packers. By purchasing your meat from Keystone Processors, the money you spend stays in our local economy helping Manitoba remain vibrant and strong. It also creates jobs in our own communities, bringing income to farmers, beef producers, butchers, restaurants and maybe even you.