A group of Republican governors toured a Nebraska meat processing plant on Thursday to show support for so-called “pink slime,” the meat additive used as a filler in beef products. “Pink slime,” or finely textured lean beef, is composed of fatty bits of meat left over from other cuts. It’s drawn recent national scrutiny over safety concerns about the chemicals used to kill bacteria. This week its main producer, Beef Products, suspended operations in Texas, Kansas and Iowa. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback said pink slime has been unfairly criticized.

Sam Brownback: “We’ve lost 300 jobs in Kansas off of this, off of a good, wholesome, safe product that’s been consumed for 20 years without a problem. And that’s why we’re here pushing back. And I hope, I really hope, the people in America take a second look and thought about what this is really—what this really is and work with it. If there was a safety issue, I am absolutely for going after any safety issue on food. Whatever it is, we should go after it, and we are, and we have been as an industry. That’s not what this is. This isn’t merited. And my hope is, is that people can take another look at it and see that this is a quality beef product.”