2003 News Archive
Thousands of Dietitians Gain Greater Beef Nutrition Awareness
DENVER (November 7, 2003) – Through a variety of communications strategies, the beef industry provided dietitians with a wealth of nutrition information on their product at the American Dietetic Association Food & Nutrition Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio Oct. 25-28. The effort was funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head beef checkoff.
The industry’s program was coordinated with funding from the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).
About 8,500 dietitians and other health professionals attended the event. The beef industry sponsored a booth at the Trade Show, and sponsored an education session called “Food for Thought: Rethinking the Impact of Vitamins and Minerals on Cognition.” In addition, the checkoff co-sponsored the Gala Dinner, with more than 1,000 attendees enjoying a beef filet at the center of the plate.
During the education session, three nutrition authorities provided the audience with examples of how inclusion of beef in the diet contributes important nutrients to a healthy mind. Presenters were Dr. Molly Kretsch of the University of California at Davis (area of expertise: Iron and Zinc), Dr. Harold Sandstead of the University of Texas Medical Branch (Zinc) and Dr. Katherine Tucker of Tufts University (B-Vitamins). A capacity crowd of more than 400 dietitians attended the event. In addition, two local reporters attended the event and interviewed the speakers.
The theme of the booth revolved around the industry’s checkoff-funded nutrition ad campaign, which compares the nutrients provided to the diet by beef to those contributed by chicken. The more than 4,000 dietitians visiting the booth had an opportunity to sample a lean beef steak taco that demonstrated the relationship between taste and nutrition. New and updated graphics on beef nutrition were also distributed, as were new industry educational materials.
A quiz conducted at the booth gave visitors information on beef’s fatty acid profile that went against conventional wisdom and sparked many conversations about the value of beef to the diet and how it has been misunderstood and misrepresented in the past.
“We were able to open many eyes through this event,” says Mike Vache, a beef producer from Randlett, Okla., who attended the convention. “It was a great opportunity to not only share our story with dietitians, but update them with information from research that we had conducted recently.
Vache, who is vice chairman of the industry’s Joint Health Professional Influencers Subcommittee, says the entire event couldn’t have been much more successful. “They were literally having to turn people away at our education session,” he says. “And our booth, which is traditionally one of the better attended, couldn’t have been busier. It had to have been one of the most successful events that the checkoff is involved in.”
Jim McAdams, an Adkins, Texas, beef producer who assisted in the booth and attended the sponsored dinner, agreed.
“These are the kinds of events beef producers need to be involved in,” he says. “The kinds of health professionals that attend these programs are the ones that make nutrition recommendations to consumers across the country. Through our checkoff program, we’re able to give these influencers the information and materials they need to best describe to their clients beef’s role in healthful diets.”
Vache believes it’s important to have this outlet for information from the beef industry. “Thanks to the $1-per-head checkoff, the beef industry has worked for years to establish a strong, credible working relationship with the dietitian community,” he says. “We know how valuable the data and research we have is, and working with dietitians and other health professionals to get it out is crucial.”
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The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval. The checkoff assessment became mandatory when the program was approved by 79 percent of producers in a 1988 national referendum vote. Checkoff revenues may be used for promotion, education and research programs to improve the marketing climate for beef.
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.
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