Media That Target Foodservice, Restaurant Industry Eating Up News About Beef

Magazines targeting the restaurant and foodservice community are finding plenty of good news to report about beef.  The news is being distributed to the publications on behalf of beef producers through the national beef checkoff to help increase usage of beef by this industry, which markets about half of all beef sold in this country.

The beef foodservice promotion program is coordinated for the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).

Publicity has appeared in all of the foodservice/restaurant industry’s leading publications.  During a three month period from April through June, total impressions to this specialized audience totaled more than 1.5 million. 

Among the articles appearing in the publications was a seven page article in the August 2002 issue of School Foodservice & Nutrition, a recipe for Steak Thai Cobb Salad in the June 2002 issue of Restaurant Hospitality, an article called “Beefed-Up” in the April 15 issue of Restaurants and Institutions and an article in the May 1 Restaurant Business on new beef cuts that make it easier to menu steak.  Recipes and articles also appeared in Nation’s Restaurant News, Seasoned Views and ID, which serves foodservice distributors.

 “Restaurants and non-commercial foodservice operators impact half of our volume,” according to Lisa Hefner, a beef producer from Seminole, Okla., and chair of the beef industry’s Joint Foodservice Committee.  “By working with them and showing them the value of our product to their businesses, we’re helping producers broaden demand for their animals.”

Beef industry foodservice efforts are funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff program and are 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.  This 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.

Coordination for this checkoff-funded project was provided by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.  Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the 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.