Oglala Sioux Tribe concerned about store that sold old meat

Wednesday, May 16, 2012  

The leader of the Oglala Sioux Tribe said a supermarket on the Pine Ridge Reservation was selling outdated meat.

President John Yellow Bird Steele encountered the problem fiirst-hand. He purchased some chicken at the Sioux Nation store only to find that it was spoiled.

"It smelled to high heaven. I took it back and they said to go get another one. I went and got another one and it was in the same condition," Yellow Bird Steele told KELO-TV.

Other consumers said they purchased outdated ground beef from the store, which remained closed as of Tuesday. But the Indian Health Service hasn't confirmed any incidents of food poisoning, store director Richard Whitmarsh told the Associated Press.

Whitemarsh said the store has cleaned its meat department and is providing training for employees who handle meat. The store operates in a building leased from the tribe.

Get the Story:
Pine Ridge Store Closes After Health Violations (KELO-TV 5/15)
Pine Ridge's only grocery store remains closed (AP 5/16)
Sioux Nation Superstore Claims Spoiled-Meat Problems Fixed (Indian Country Today 5/16)

Native News Network: Tribal store was selling outdated meat (5/10)