Beef Value Cuts such as the Flat Iron Steak and Ranch Cut were recently developed through muscle-profiling research funded by the Beef Checkoff Program. But according to Chef Craig O’Brien, vice president of new product development for processor Quantum Foods, Beef Value Cuts had many challenges to overcome.
Cut #1 :33 Outcue: "...all over the United States."
O’Brien says Beef Value Cuts have now turned the corner, and are in high demand from a wide range of restaurants.
Cut #2 :18 Outcue: "...past couple of years."
He credits the work of the Beef Checkoff Program and its contractor, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, as being the driving force that generated demand for Beef Value Cuts and created awareness and exposure for these products.
Cut #3 :30 Outcue: "...sales to the restaurants."
O’Brien added that packers now see the benefit of Beef Value Cuts, and are working to refine these products and make them more readily available.
Cut #4 :25 Outcue: "...from the Value Cut Program."
O’Brien emphasized the importance of Beef Value Cuts to expanding the number of diners that can order steak, and the range of restaurants that can offer steak on their menu.
Cut #5 :42 Outcue: "...very successfully."
The national Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, a group of 108 beef producers appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. They represent producers from coast-to-coast and volunteer their time to help identify programs that can help increase beef demand. The checkoff was created in the 1985 Farm Bill, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle and a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents to the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.