2001 News Archive
Checkoff Puts Veal Front and Center -- October 1, 2001
DENVER, Colo. (September 28, 2001) – Veal producers have strived to put veal front and center with consumers. With the introduction of a $1-per-head national checkoff 15 years ago, that effort was given a marketing boost.
“A sizeable and coordinated veal program never existed until the checkoff program began in 1986,” said John Landin, American Veal Association (AVA) president, Ashville, N.Y. “A checkoff program only made sense. It’s logical to manage veal dollars with veal producers at the forefront of the promotion effort.”
Landin said the program has given the veal industry “access to a broad variety of talent and skills to utilize for our marketing efforts.” AVA subcontracts to conduct veal programs on behalf of the checkoff.
Phyllis Metke, a veal producer from Franksville, Wis., agrees. “Serving on the industry’s Joint Veal Committee and serving on the Wisconsin Beef Council Board and state and local veal associations, we have tried to develop a well-oiled machine,” she said. “In Wisconsin, we have an impact with our veal promotions. With the resources and materials provided by the checkoff, producers have been able to step up their efforts to help consumers better understand the industry.”
“The Veal Committee has always worked to be progressive and focused,” said Dean H. Conklin, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) executive director of Beef & Veal Channel Marketing. Conklin was the first coordinator hired to manage the veal program, and has been with the organization for 14 years.
“One of the Joint Veal Committee’s greatest strengths is its ability to ferret out the facts in order to build a stronger program,” Conklin said. “Utilizing specialists, the group has produced two long-range plans over the years and is currently working on a third. It is important to be aware of the business climate and remain ahead of the trends.” An example of this, he said, is a current marketing initiative that will use the Internet to market veal.
“The Joint Veal Committee has commissioned a study -- the first of its kind – that pinpoints the demographics of veal consumers,” said Dennis Snyder, Joint Veal Committee chairman from Westfield, Pa. “Veal consumer demographics match those of the Internet consumers. It is one more way for us to stay on the market cutting edge.”
Checkoff-funded research has been part of the program`s strength, Snyder said. “One study, for example, was designed to review and analyze veal supply and distribution in order to help the industry improve its ability to respond to changing consumer demand. Another project was cookery research, designed to update veal preparation techniques.”
Reacting to Industry Needs
The Joint Veal Committee has used checkoff funds to implement many promotional programs over the years at both the retail and foodservice levels. The “Veal, No Comparison” campaign in 1989, for instance, offered menu suggestions and veal servicing incentives. Veal Nutri-Facts case cards were distributed, along with brochures, magazine articles and photos, recipe booklets, and more.
The same year, a new Veal Merchandising Guide and more than 2,700 Beef and Veal Promotion Planners were distributed to retailers and wholesalers nationwide. An editorial program targeted food service magazine editors, and a tour enabled some editors to visit a veal production facility. More than 90,000 copies of Facts About Versatile Veal were distributed. Consumer attitudes and advertising awareness were tracked, and a project was conducted to measure changes in consumer awareness, usage and attitudes towards veal.
In 1990, specialized veal information materials were distributed in more than 4,000 stores in major veal-consuming areas. The first veal communications and issues management training programs were conducted for retailers in California and Washington. The “Veal of Fortune” promotion kit was introduced to more than 13,000 foodservice operators and a Veal Facts brochure was produced.
A four-week retail “Veal. Discover the Special Choice” promotion helped double veal sales at more than 1,500 participating supermarkets. A foodservice program helped increase veal sales 125 percent in a three-week promotion with Chicago’s Lettuce Entertain You restaurants.
Whenever it can, the industry uses partnerships to enhance checkoff-funded veal promotions. The Veal Committee has partnered with veal producers who voluntarily contribute 25-cents per head to augment producer-funded checkoff programs.
In 1997 a new advertising campaign was introduced called “Veal. Eat Smart. Eat Well.” It sought to reinforce the image of veal as a tasty, nutritious meal. Foodservice ads encouraged restaurant operators to put veal on their menus, while a summer grilling promotion helped move millions of pounds of veal through newspaper ads and price features for retailers.
Efforts at Home, in Restaurants
An aggressive 1999 restaurant promotion program for veal sought to help operators and chefs realize the benefits of including veal on their menus. The program included advertising in major restaurant publications and distributing an elaborate brochure showing the variety of veal cuts. Retailers representing about 2,000 stores in major veal areas were contacted and encouraged to use checkoff-funded point-of-purchase materials to increase veal sales.
Responding to consumer demand for “convenience” in food products, checkoff funds have been used to develop a variety of such items for home and restaurant use, like veal bacon and veal ribs. Articles featuring the new veal recipes were placed in prominent publications and point-of-purchase promotional materials were placed in more than 3,200 supermarkets in 2000.
2000 data shows that veal is now served in 64 percent of fine dining restaurants and 34 percent of casual or theme restaurants, up from 28 percent of casual restaurants surveyed in 1997.
But there is much left to do, according to Conklin. “The industry needs to stay vigilant and seize new opportunities to help increase demand for veal,” he said. “I believe the checkoff will be key to these efforts now and in the future.”
Veal promotion programs are funded by producers through their checkoff and are produced for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the NCBA.
The Cattlemen`s Beef Board`s 110-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.
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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.