Beef Briefs: August 2010
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Look for Beef Briefs to be delivered the first of each month – your snapshot of beef checkoff news affecting the dairy and beef industries. Editor’s note: please feel free to use these news items as space allows in your publication or online content. If you would like to expand on a certain topic, please e-mail Melissa Slagle at mslagle@beefboard.org.
In case you missed it…
… Beef checkoff launches new veal website for foodservice professionals
… Latest Consumer Beef Index numbers show good news for beef.
… Click here for recent changes in USDA labeling guidelines
Learning To Live Well
The June Live Well 2010: A Return to Real Food and Simple Pleasures event, funded by the beef checkoff, was designed to engage and mobilize top-tier health professionals and credentialed members of the nutrition media, providing them with new research and tools to incorporate beef nutrition information into their education efforts. Held at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in Napa Valley, the event brought together scientific, culinary, beef industry and consumer experts who provided a closer look at the latest beef nutrition scientific research, and discussed aspects of food production from the pasture to the plate.
Participants included 29 credentialed food and nutrition media who collectively reach millions of beef consumers, ranging from authors to food bloggers to a Food Network host; former American Dietetic Association (ADA) national spokespeople; and high-profile health professionals from across the country.
High-Protein Diet Study
The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences published results of a study – funded in part by the beef checkoff and pork checkoff – which found that although higher-protein diets support weight loss in overweight and obese women, they might also lower bone density in postmenopausal women who were already trying to lose weight.
In a Purdue University press release, lead researcher Wayne W. Campbell noted that “it is also important to note that these two studies were relatively short, nine to 12 weeks, so studies to evaluate how protein intakes impact body composition and bone beyond the period of active weight loss would be helpful.”
For more about the study, visit Lean beef and bone density.
Red Hot Filipino Market
The Philippines has one of the world's fastest-growing economies, which is reflected in its growing appetite for U.S. beef. Total beef exports are up more than 50 percent in value and more than 75 percent in volume. With a population of more than 90 million, the Filipino market has immense potential. The challenge, however, is to effectively introduce economically priced beef cuts that will appeal to consumers and gain traction in the Philippines' rapidly expanding foodservice sector.
The checkoff recently hosted a team of nine Filipino chefs and restaurateurs and one importer for a seminar at the Singapore Culinary Center. The group learned how to preserve the freshness of U.S. beef through vacuum packing, allowing for more efficient distribution of meat products and cost-savings through reduction of waste. They also participated in a plate cost computation exercise that offered keys to improving profitability.
For more information about the beef checkoff's foreign marketing efforts, click here.
Beef Seminar In Japan
Western Japan is well-known for its high beef consumption, especially the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu, and the Chugoku region on the western tip of Japan's largest island, Honshu. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, is actively working to expand U.S. market share in western Japan and has achieved solid progress with an increasing number of supermarkets in the region reintroducing U.S. beef this year.
USMEF recently conducted a U.S. beef seminar with Fuji, western Japan's leading regional supermarket chain with 95 outlets in Shikoku and Chugoku. To more confidently and effectively promote U.S. beef to its customers, Fuji wanted to educate its meat buyers and meat department staff about merchandising and beef safety. The seminar gave more than 90 buyers and meat department staff an overview of the U.S. beef industry, focusing on new product development, the USDA carcass-grading system, BSE safeguards and other safety-control measures.
For more information about beef checkoff foreign marketing efforts, click here.
Fall Tailgating Fun
When summer winds down and cooler temperatures bring the first whiff of football season, the intensity spills over from the football field to the parking lot – it’s time for tailgating! Whether it’s a snack or a smorgasbord, beef is the perfect grab-and-go accompaniment for celebrating before the game.
Giving Beef Fans What They Want
- Be ready for burger lovers with a variety of ground beef categories, including lean, chuck, round and sirloin. Check out the Category report for Q3 ’09 to see how these different categories performed last year. Ground beef also makes a starring appearance at tailgating parties in chili and meatballs.
- The tailgating promotion with Anheuser-Busch's Bud gives consumers ultimate savings.
- Steaks and pot roasts are also appealing to tailgaters, because they can be prepared in advance and sliced for tasty on-the-go sandwiches.
For more checkoff-funded retail information, click here.
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.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.
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