This Week: What Has The Beef Checkoff Program's CONSUMER INFORMATION Program Area Done For Me Lately?CONSUMER INFORMATION, as defined in the Beef Promotion & Research Act, means “nutritional data and other information that will assist consumers and other persons in making evaluations and decisions regarding the purchasing, preparing and use of beef and beef products.” This includes programs such as youth education and information, communication with nutrition influencers, and public relations. DC Metropolitan Cooking Show -- The beef checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative, is gearing up to attend the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show, Nov. 13-14, 2010. This event is a consumer event focusing on food and entertaining with more than 200 exhibitors including specialty food companies, caterers, party planners, personal chefs, kitchen planners and appliance manufacturers. Chef Dave Zino, will be on hand to do a beef cooking demonstration. Publix Cook-Off® Promotion Boosts Beef Sales -- The recent joint checkoff recipe demo promotion at Publix stores on July 31 was highly successful in selling beef shoulder steaks. Sales data during the five weeks surrounding the promotion indicates beef sales increased approximately 200 percent, and beef pounds increased by 273 percent during the ad week ending August 4. The dollar value for this promotion compared to the total costs resulted in a 101 percent return on investment. Raising the Steaks in the Blogosphere –- The checkoff continues to share tips for summer grilling with beef throughout the blogosphere. Executive Chef Dave Zino was recently highlighted on two well-known blogs: TammyMunson.com and Moms Favorite Stuff. Both of these lifestyle and parenting bloggers shared Chef Dave’s secrets for getting the best out of beef, drove traffic by linking to BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com, spoke to the benefits of the Interactive Meat Case and put the spotlight on seasonal recipes such as the Labor Day favorite, the Beef California “Roll” Salad. Lean Beef Blogging -- The checkoff worked with six bloggers, including The Savory Sweet Life, The Happy Housewife, Friday Playdate, Digital Dads, The Homesteading Housewife and Dinners for a Year and Beyond to showcase today’s many lean beef options for consumers and provide information on beef’s role in an enjoyable and healthy meal for the entire family. The program reached more than 282,000 consumers and engaged readers with more than 830 comments posted. Power of Protein Webinars -- The checkoff continued its successful webinar series for nutrition influencers titled “The Power of Protein in Optimal Health” with a webinar specifically for the American Dietetic Association’s Weight Management Dietetic Practice Group. More than 1,100 registered dietitians have participated in the online educational sessions this year, which have provided participants with information about the power of protein in the diet and included presentations by leading protein researchers. Meeting With National Consumer Magazines -- The beef checkoff took New York City by storm with its annual consumer magazine deskside tour, meeting with publications including Family Circle, Real Simple, Saveur, Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping and more. Executive Chef Dave Zino and Nebraska rancher Anne Burkholder met with 10 consumer magazines to give them a taste of how perfectly beef fits into the latest at-home culinary trends and to provide insight into how cattle are raised. Live Well Results Live On -- Credentialed nutrition media who participated in the beef checkoff-funded event in June, Live Well 2010: A Return to Real Food and Simple Pleasures, continue to showcase beef in positive media placements: the Atlanta Journal Constitution and USA Today. These two placements alone reached more than 19 million consumers. MBA Wins Golden ARC Award – The beef checkoff’s Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program was recognized as the top “Agricultural Image” campaign in the Golden ARC Awards for excellence in agricultural public relations. The Golden ARC Awards were presented July 27 at the Agricultural Media Summit in St. Paul, Minn., by members of the Agricultural Relations Council (ARC), the professional development organization for agricultural public relations practitioners. Interested students can complete an online application and get started earning their MBA today. Building Media Relationships -- The checkoff conducted a series of deskside briefings with food industry and commodities reporters at the Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, Meat & Deli Retailer, National Provisioner, Meatingplace and The Chicago Tribune. Results have been immediate – the checkoff-funded “Slice and Save” program was included in a Chicago Tribune feature on food manufacturers’ efforts to cash in on consumers' need for classic comfort foods. Dispelling Myths on Beef Choices -- In an effort to provide accurate, science-based details on beef’s nutrient profile and modern production practices, the checkoff connected beef nutrition and safety experts with TIME reporter Jeffrey Kluger for an article on the organic foods debate. Despite industry efforts to balance the editorial tone on the healthfulness of all beef choices, the final article continues to propagate common myths that we see about modern food production, including negative claims on antibiotic and growth promotant use, as well as the ways that animals are raised. |