This Week: WHAT HAS the CHECKOFF S CONSUMER INFORMATION PROGRAM AREA DONE for ME LATELY?

Checking in on the Checkoff

December 14, 2007

This week: WHAT HAS THE CHECKOFF’S CONSUMER INFORMATION PROGRAM AREA DONE FOR ME LATELY?

CONSUMER INFORMATION, as defined in the Beef Promotion & Research Act, means “nutritional data and other information that will assist consumers and other persons in making evaluations and decisions regarding the purchasing, preparing and use of beef and beef products.” This includes programs such as youth education and information, communication with nutrition influencers, and public relations.

Checking in on the Today Show - Richard Chamberlain, co-author of the beef checkoff’s Healthy Beef Cookbook, will appear again on the most watched morning program, the Today Show, on December 27. Chamberlain and his son will conducta “Fire Up Your New Year Celebration,” showcasing grilled tenderloin, salmon and a grilled dessert. For more information about the Healthy Beef Cookbook, go to

Beefing Up the Holidays–The beef checkoff’s food-communications team is promoting holiday roasts and recipes via an editorial color page partnership with Sutter Home wines and Colavita olive oil, as well as a food editor mailing and information for State Beef Council use.For access to holiday roast recipes and information, go to

Enriching Family Mealtimes - The consumer Web site for the checkoff’s Enriching Family Mealtimesyouth and family nutrition education program is on track to launch in February 2008. The site will provide parents with information about the benefits of family mealtimes and provides how-to tips about meal planning, recipes, school projects and how to engage children in the process. It will complement the Enriching Family Mealtimes tool kit.For more beef nutrition information, go to

Assessing Cancer Claims– In preparation for the Nov. 1 release of a Word Cancer Research Fund Report (WCRF) implicating red meat and processed meat, the checkoff funded an independent assessment of research about red meat and cancer, as well as outreach to the media and health professionals, and coordination of an industrywide response and Web page on The report concluded that “evidence linking red meat to colorectal cancer is more convincing than it was a decade ago.” The checkoff response provided resources about red meat, cancer risk, and the positive role of lean beef in a healthy diet.A week following the report, the team coordinated a radio media tour to promote the importance of eating healthy and choosing lean beef. The radio media tour aired on 20 broadcasts, reached 15.6 million listeners nationwide.

Training Beef’s Spokespeople – The beef checkoff’snational Spokesperson Development program recently worked with the Missouri Beef Industry Council to conduct media training for 30 dietetic interns from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the University of Missouri and Southeast Missouri State University. These professionals will be influential in setting menus for school lunch programs, senior care centers and other public and private foodservice institutions throughout their careers. Providing them with media training skills helps build a relationship between the state beef council and dietitians and delivers positive beef messages to influencers.For checkoff materials and downloads aimed at educating influencers, go to

Assessing Nutrient Qualities of Beef–Thanks to checkoff funding, Dr Adam Drewnowski, University of Washington, and his team of scientists, completed the scientific assessment required to develop a nutrient rich index.This includes a “family of indexes” that measure the nutritional quality of a food based on the total package (positive and negative) of nutrients, rather than the negative nutrients only.The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition (NRFC) has selected one index to move forward to the consumer application phase.Consumer research to get consumer reactions to the index is under way. For more information about NRFC, visit

Serving as a Resource on E. coli– The beef checkoff continues to serve as an important resource in responding to media inquiries about the ground beef recalls of the last six months. For example, the checkoff’s safety public-relations team worked with the New York Times on a recent story focused on safety interventions used in processing plants – and the challenges of implementing new interventions. The team recently launched as an online resource on safety issues, recalls, and information about the full spectrum of beef safety issues.