Beef Briefs: March 2011
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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…
… Get to know your CBB leadership team.
… The beef industry approves 3-year Long Range Plan.
… Find out how checkoff dollars are invested on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Out of nearly 20,000 supermarket outlets in Japan, more than 75 percent are local or regional retailers. A very effective way of introducing U.S. beef cuts into these small and middle-sized supermarkets is to appeal to the distributors who are supplying their meat products. Over the past year, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program, has conducted company-specific seminars that specifically target these regional distributors.
Last year these seminars were held in seven major cities in western and central Japan, including the Chugoku/Shikoku Kinki area. This series proved extremely effective in raising the profile of U.S. beef and boosting consumer interest, as U.S. beef sales by participating companies quadrupled over the prior 12 months. To build on this success, USMEF is continuing the program in 2011.
U.S. beef achieved stellar growth in Japan in 2010, increasing by 36 percent in both volume (124,561 metric tons or nearly 275 million pounds) and value ($639.5 million), making it the third-largest export destination in both categories.
Click here for more about your checkoff investment in foreign marketing programs.
Beef Gets Heart-Healthy Mark
Thanks in part to a partnership with the Beef Checkoff Program, the American Heart Association has listed three beef cuts as part of its Food Certification Program. This program places the association's heart-check mark on food packages to helps healthy consumers over age 2 identify foods that meet criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol.
The three beef cuts that met the American Heart Association's criteria for extra lean and now are certified to display the heart-check mark include:
- Boneless Top Sirloin Petite Roast (select grade)
- Top Sirloin Filet (select grade)
- Top Sirloin Kabob (select grade)
Click here for the full story.
2011 Beef Cook-Off Kicks Off!
In response to a July 2010 outside evaluation, PivotPoint Software, LLC. (WizeHive) will develop recipe screening and judging software for the National Beef Cook-Off, funded in part by your beef checkoff. The software will process judging of recipe entries in a safe, fast, objective – and more cost-effective – manner. It will automatically screen recipes for eligibility; rank them according to category after they are rated by beef marketing and culinary judges; and provide random display of finalist recipes for public voting on the website.
The 2011 NBCO is hosting a national search for extraordinary beef recipes that demonstrate the benefits and versatility of cooking with beef via four uniquely themed contest categories. Learn more about the new contest themes here.
Enter your recipe now for a chance to win up to $25,000 in cash, plus a trip to the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show in Washington D.C. Entry deadline is April 30, 2011.
Nutritional Labeling and Beef Merchandising Tools
Many retailers are having success tapping into the “Nutrient Database for Fresh Meat and Poultry Product Labeling” and supporting beef checkoff-funded tools for implementing the final nutrition labeling rule.
The checkoff also continues to highlight retailers who have made a special effort to keep the focus on beef in the meat case. Whether retailers are thinking about applying for a Beef Backer Award, hosting a Beef Training Camp, implementing On-pack Nutrition Labeling, or in need of promotional ideas, see how others have succeeded in these areas!
Veal Chop with Truffle Jus and Red Onion Confit
Veal has an exceptional, sophisticated flavor that shines in simple preparations like this delicious chop recipe created by Chef Russell Skall of Fleming’s Prime Steak House and Wine Bar. His secret for cooking Veal? Broiling at 1600ºF with a special broiler that sears from the top down to seal in juices.
Click here for the featured recipe and more about your beef checkoff investment in veal programs.
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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