(CENTENNIAL, Colo.) – This year’s 15th annual NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo, held Jan. 12-13 at the Washington Convention Center in D.C., boasted more than 85,000 attendees. In addition to getting free medical services like vision and cholesterol tests, diabetes and blood pressure screenings, and fun, healthy activities like rock climbing, tennis, golf and even salsa dancing lessons, this year’s visitors learned about the health benefits of beef.

A checkoff-funded sponsorship by the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) in Middletown, Penn., kicked off by featuring special live characters “Patty Melt” and “Beef Man” who greeted kids with a beefy smile and handshake after participating in the opening ceremony walk. 

“Our sponsorship of the Health and Fitness Expo is an excellent example of the work being done in the northeast as a result of utilizing checkoff dollars,” says Emilie Miller, Director of Retail & Foodservice Relations for the NEBPI. “Reaching thousands of beef consumers of all ages at a grassroots level and educating them about the health benefits associated with our products will hopefully result in increased beef demand for our producers.”

Dennis and Dottie Byrne, beef producers from Nottingham, Penn., also represented The Beef Checkoff at the Expo booth. Dennis says, “Experiencing the tradeshow firsthand, I was able to appreciate the work the checkoff is doing for producers. The Expo was definitely a worthwhile project and a great opportunity to share the beef story.

“Throughout the event, we educated consumers about the 29 lean cuts of beef and how they fit into a healthy lifestyle. Surprisingly, a large number of attendees didn’t know beef was that lean. Through efforts such as these, we can help overcome that misconception and add value to our product.”

2008 National Beef Ambassadors Beth Wood (Pine Bluffs, Wy.) and Jennifer Rassler (Kempton, Pa.) helped engage the crowd in a Beef Trivia and “Veal or No Veal” contest.

The NEBPI sponsorship included a web component, an ad in the program book and an exhibit booth at the event. The web ads generated over a half a million impressions with click throughs to www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com. Over 550 people entered to win “The Healthy Beef Cookbook” at the two-day event and, of those, more than half signed up to receive the “Beef So Simple” E-newsletter. And during the weekend, hundreds of other promotional and educational materials were distributed.

As an added bonus, the group was located beside the culinary center and was asked to fill a missing guest speaker slot where Byrne and National Beef Ambassadors were able to share the checkoff story with a sizzling backdrop.

For more information about checkoff-funded activities, visit www.beefboard.org.

The NEBPI, a program of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, was established to extend the reach of checkoff dollars throughout the Northeast. Consumers, retailers and foodservice operators now have full-time support staff available to partner and participate in events, promotions and programs that are designed to increase beef demand throughout the region.

The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

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