BEEF INDUSTRY A HIT AT DIETETIC EVENT

CHICAGO (October 25, 1999) –  Nearly 10,000 health professionals attending a key event in Atlanta, Georgia, last week were treated to a generous helping of beef information.  Industry efforts funded by the beef checkoff at the 82^nd American Dietetic Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition -- the largest gathering of the nation`s health professionals -- provided dietitians, media and consumers with news about beef`s convenience and role in a healthy diet.  

“The beef industry had an unbelievable presence at the meeting this year,” said Jay O’Brien, a cattle producer from Amarillo, Texas, and vice-chairman of the Beef Industry Nutrition and Health Committee. “By sponsoring two well-attended sessions relating to beef’s nutritional values, an interactive nutrition booth, and one of the meeting’s most popular dinners, we took the opportunity to reach 10,000 gatekeepers to American diets with positive, correct information about beef.”

At the meeting, the beef industry unveiled its new focus on convenience and nutrition through its new nutrition display booth. According to O’Brien, health professionals and registered dietitians lined up at the beef industry booth where, for the first time, dietitians sampled new heat-and-serve products, including pre-cooked pot roast and shredded beef with barbeque.  More than 3,000 people enjoyed samples of the products.

A meat case also was set up at the booth, giving dietitians information on where to direct their clients who were interested in purchasing the heat-and-serve products. In addition, dietitians were provided nutritional information about the products.

At one of the booth’s four “stations,” more than 3,000 registered dietitians ordered the new “It’s All About You” kit unveiled at the meeting, as well as additional beef nutrition resource materials. Materials handed out included a reprint of the Parity Study, published last summer by the Archives of Internal Medicine.  The study demonstrated that eating lean beef is as effective as eating chicken when it comes to lowering blood cholesterol levels.

Another station encouraged dietitians to log on to beef’s nutrition Web site, www.beefnutrition.org, and sign up for the beef industry’s online nutrition newsletter.

"As a beef producer, this event is strong evidence that our checkoff dollars are being well spent,” said Dave Bateman, a cattle producer from Elburn, Ill., and chairman of the Beef Industry Nutrition and Health Committee. “I wish more producers could see the reception that beef got here.  It shows that our checkoff is working not only in the research area, but in communicating the results of that research to a very important audience."

The beef industry also co-sponsored two sessions at the meeting titled “Fatty Acids and Health: Emerging Science on DHA and CLA,” and “The It’s All About You Nutrition Education Tool Kit: Implementation, Experiences, and Insights from a Variety of Settings.”

Significant research findings about beef’s role in helping curb the incidence of diabetes and heart disease were presented at the “Fatty Acids and Health” session. Checkoff-funded research was presented that showed conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has powerful anticarcinogenic properties.  CLA is a unique fatty acid found naturally in red meat.

In addition to reaching health professionals, the “Fatty Acids and Health” session, presented by Martha Belury, PhD, RD, of Purdue University, garnered significant media attention during the meeting. Preliminary results showed media featuring the story on the evening news in markets from Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Detroit.

The  “It’s All About You” session helped teach dietitians how to educate their clients about how all foods fit into a health diet, including beef.

Checkoff dollars also sponsored a beef entrée at the Foundation dinner, a formal event that attracted more than 2,000 of the nation’s top nutrition professionals.

"By and large people believe their dietitians,” said Bateman.  “We`re trying to make sure they have the correct information about beef and the benefits of including beef in the diet."

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Nutrition programs are funded by the national beef checkoff, which is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board (Beef Board).  This 111-member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the $1-per-head checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement the provisions of the Federal Order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.

Under a contract with the Beef Board, this beef checkoff-funded effort is conducted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a trade association of America’s cattle ranchers and farmers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.  NCBA is producer-directed but consumer-focused, with  offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C.