2002 News Archive
Eight Products Receive Mark of Quality Approval
DENVER (December 19, 2002) – Three companies have recently earned the beef checkoff’s Mark of Quality for new beef products. The products were approved by the Joint Brand-Like Commission on Nov. 15 and recently received approval from the Executive Committee of the Cattlemen's Beef Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The number of products now in the Mark of Quality program is 63.
To earn the Mark of Quality beef products must deliver the great beef taste that consumers would expect. In addition, they must have accurate on-pack preparation and safe food handling instructions, nutritional information and manufacturer contact information; correct product names and UPC coding; and manufacturers must offer a consumer satisfaction guarantee. Use of the Mark is overseen by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and managed under contract to the Board by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
The three brands and their products are:
Maverick RanchÒ Beef Pot Roast
Maverick RanchÒ Beef Chuck Filet in Burgundy Mushroom Sauce
Maverick RanchÒ Flatiron Beef Steak in Sherry and White Wine Sauce
Maverick RanchÒ Southwest Style Meatloaf
Schwan’sÒ Pot Roast
TysonÒ Flat Iron Griller Top Blade Steaks
TysonÒ Medallion Roast Shoulder Tender Steaks
TysonÒ Mesquite Flavored Shoulder Center Steaks
These products went through an exhaustive testing and evaluation process at the NCBA Culinary Center in Chicago. They were also individually evaluated by a consumer panel and by the beef producers who make up the Joint Brand-Like Commission.
“The products we approved reflect well on the industry and are excellent examples of new beef products that meet consumer expectations,” according to Pat McDowell, a Texas beef producer and chairman of the Brand-Like Commission. “Over the last few years our commission has helped identify and single out products that have a good chance of making a difference for consumers, cattle producers and the beef industry. As a result, the Mark of Quality has become a good illustration of what the $1-per-head beef checkoff can do.”
The primary meat portion of all products selected for the Mark of Quality must be 100 percent beef. They must also have the great taste that consumers have come to expect from beef, and be branded by a manufacturer and supported in the marketplace by a consumer marketing program. Products must be centrally processed at a USDA-inspected facility.
Products are submitted by their respective companies for Mark of Quality approval, and the Joint Brand-Like Commission meets on a quarterly basis to evaluate items that have passed initial Culinary Center scrutiny. All must receive final approval from both the Beef Board Executive Committee and the USDA.
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Mark of Quality and Joint Brand-Like Commission efforts are funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff. These kinds of programs at the national level are managed for the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The Cattlemen’s Beef Board is a 110-member board 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.
Producer-directed and consumer-focused, NCBA 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.