Beef. It's What's for Breakfast

Through the $1-per-head checkoff, beef producers are edging their way onto the breakfast table with the first all-beef, fully cooked breakfast patty.  The new breakfast patty, introduced by Lopez Foods of Oklahoma, uses underutilized beef cuts and carries the Mark of Quality, which signals to consumers that the product delivers a great beef-eating experience.

This product launch is significant for the beef industry because beef has been underrepresented in the breakfast market, and this product addresses that gap head-on, said Tracy Brunner, a beef producer from Kansas, member of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and chair of the industry's Joint New Product & Culinary Initiatives Committee. "The product is receiving terrific nationwide exposure," Brunner said. "It's a good alternative to other breakfast meats, and it's easy to prepare and has excellent taste."

It is also significant because the new product consists of underutilized raw materials, Brunner said. "Lopez is taking something lower in value (certain cuts from the chuck and round) and adding value to it. Every time we see a new beef item come on the market that adds value to the chuck and round, it's destined to return greater dividends for beef producers."

The new beef breakfast patties are traditionally seasoned for a great tasting beef alternative to a favorite morning protein and are part of the Country Cousin(r) brand product line.  They are sold in the frozen meat section of Wal-Mart Supercenters nationwide.  The Country Cousin line of products is currently the third highest volume selling brand in the frozen meat case at Wal-Mart.

Lopez Foods developed the new product after being asked by Wal-Mart to support one of its case-ready programs.  Lopez Foods worked through the Mark of Quality Commission to apply for and secure rights to use the Mark of Quality, which is the checkoff program's stamp of approval for products that deliver the superior taste, quality and satisfaction consumers expect from beef. For a product to receive the Mark of Quality, it must surpass stringent quality criteria set and monitored by the industry's checkoff-funded Mark of Quality Commission, a nine-member panel of volunteer U.S. beef producers.

"The product is very unique, an item that consumers are not expecting to see," said Phil Wilson, national sales manager for Lopez Foods.  "There is some curiosity because it's beef for breakfast."

Wilson said more product sampling promotions are in the works that will give consumers an opportunity to try the new breakfast patties. "It's refreshingly vibrant in flavor," Wilson said. "When consumers try it, we'll win their business."

The Beef Checkoff Program has utilized its R&D Ranch(r) to develop and promote new beef and veal products, seeking to increase demand through targeted marketing initiatives.  The R&D Ranch team focuses on building value into underutilized beef and veal primals, helping industry partners identify and develop new products that will complement and grow their businesses. 

A new cookbook targeted to food service processors and restaurant operators featuring beef products will be published by the checkoff program this month.  The book will include a section with new recipes using beef breakfast sausage.

This checkoff project is funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff program and is managed for the Cattlemen's Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The national beef checkoff is administered by the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, subject to USDA approval. This 108-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.