2005 News Archive
Veal Makes Cover of Bon Appetit
February Issue Highlights Veal Chops
DENVER (Feb. 25, 2005) – In an exciting first for the veal industry, the cover of this month’s Bon Appetit features a veal entrée. The four-color glossy cover shot, entitled "Great Winter Food” is an eye-catching shot of veal chops with roasted shallots, accompanied by roasted arugula and soft polenta.
This successful placement is part of a veal publicity goal developed by the Joint Veal Committee. These efforts are funded by America’s beef and veal producers through the national Beef Checkoff Program. The programs are coordinated on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the American Veal Association (AVA). The NCBA serves as one of the Beef Board’s contractors for checkoff-funded programs.
As of mid-January 2005, results show $403,046 in estimated advertising equivalency in value that has been generated through consumer and foodservice publications.
“We were thrilled to see veal on the cover of Bon Appetit,” says Michael Mosner, a veal packer from the Bronx, N.Y., and chairman of the Joint Veal Committee.
“This is the first time that veal has been featured on the cover of the magazine, and this visibility will help veal become more common on American dinner tables.”
Other consumer publications that have featured veal in past months are Family Circle and Good Housekeeping.
Editors and foodservice operators also receive veal story ideas and information from the Veal Dish newsletter, which is published semi-annually.
Additionally, consumer publication editors have been invited to attend the educational annual veal media event. The media event will be held May 5 at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Through our public relations efforts, we’re having a positive impact for America’s veal producers,” says Mosner, “What the checkoff is doing is creating extra positive attention for veal’s attributes.”
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.