Council Communicator AROUND-THE-CLOCK BEEF PROMOTION
BEEF COUNCIL HARD AT WORK FOR CALIFORNIA PRODUCERS from the California Beef Council On the Road with CBC Spring is always a busy season for the California Beef Council, and this year has been no different. We’ve been all over the state in recent weeks, sharing beef ’s messages with everyone from elementary school students to professional chefs and culinary instructors. In fact, we’ve probably run into more than a few of you during our travels. Here’s just a glimpse of what we’ve been up to on your behalf lately. Our registered dietician, James Winstead, recently traveled to San Diego to help cook up a delicious beef meal for a charity event at the San Diego Ronald McDonald House, which has provided a “home away from home” to families pursuing essential pediatric treatments at area hospitals for over 30 years. More than 650 people got to enjoy a savory beef dinner and learn about the health benefits of beef, all while supporting a great cause. While in sunny San Diego, Winstead also made a stop at San Diego State University, to talk about the nutritional profile of beef with dietetic students. He shared his story with approximately 40 future nutrition professionals, helping them understand the many benefits of beef in a healthy diet before they enter the workforce. Jill Scofield, our manager of producer communications, recently joined other agricultural organizations at the 2014 Pro Start Cup Farm-to-Fork Expo, in Sacramento, sharing information about beef nutrition and ranching with professional chefs, culinary arts instructors, and future foodservice professionals and chefs. This was the first year the Pro Start Cup – an annual competition for high school culinary arts programs to showcase their skills – also held an exposition featuring agricultural groups, helping participants better understand the important role of agriculture in the kitchen. CBC Executive Director Bill Dale and CBC Manager of Consumer Communications Annette Kassis traveled to Selma in early March to join California CattleWomen, Inc. for their beef promotion day and share beef materials. CBC delivered over 125,000 brochures, recipe booklets, nutrition pamphlets and other outreach materials to California CattleWomen, who will use these materials at county fairs, ag in the classroom events, and countless other outreach efforts throughout the year. Influencing Consumers on Health and Nutrition Over the past few years, much research has been done on the purchasing preferences of millennials, their attitudes about beef, and what influences them to purchase (or avoid) beef. But until recently, there was limited information on the influences and perceptions specifically of millennial consumers who have made changes in their lifestyle for health reasons. In late 2013, the Beef Checkoff funded a study on the perspective of such consumers when it comes to health
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and nutrition influencers, conducted with over 600 millennial parents who have children under 18 living in the household. All study participants had to have made a change in their lifestyle or the lifestyle of their family in the preceding six months. For the respondents, the triggers for making a change in lifestyle varied from health diagnoses, health scares from friends or family, a desire to lose weight, having a child or attempting to improve the health of a child. The most prominent change in behavior respondents had made to alter their lifestyle was related to food – improving the healthfulness, quality or portion size of the foods one eats. When it comes to beef specifically, the findings were quite positive. For millennials making a change in their health, they associate beef with many favorable components of their health improvement strategy. In particular, respondents strongly agreed with the following key statements about beef: • It’s a great source of protein. • There is a place in their lifestyle for healthy, lean beef. • Beef is a good source of energy and fuel for their body. • Beef is a food that is an ideal balance of good taste and good nutrition. Lastly, when it comes to influencers, there’s a combination of “real” people – bloggers, friends, family and co-workers – and experts, such as doctors, clinics and hospitals, nutritionists, chefs, teachers and fitness trainers, that millennial consumers making health changes look to for information and recommendations. For the California Beef Council and those of us in the beef community, research such as this helps ensure we continue to reach those audiences and influencers who make the most impact on consumer choices, as well as use the messaging and information that seems to best resonate with consumers. For more on this and other studies that highlight consumer preferences and decision making, visit www.mybeefcheckoff. org or www.beefresearch.org.
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