From May 1 through May 15, the beef checkoff is partnering with Nash Finch for the Grocery Wholesaler Beef Roundup promotion. Nash Finch’s 47 corporate stores in 8 states – Econofoods, Sunmart, Family Fresh Market, and Pick n’ Save – will be launching the checkoff’s Slice-n-Save program as part of the promotion. The merchandising program will feature three sub-primal Angus Pride cuts: boneless beef ribeye, boneless beef top loin strip, and boneless beef top sirloin. Also as part of the promotion, cattle farmers from Iowa will be featured on posters, recipe brochures, and slice-n-save on-pack labels.
State beef councils in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota are furthering the national effort with radio spots, “meet the farmer” opportunities, cooking demos, and special in-store displays on beef production.
“We’re using a two-prong approach to first of all, focus on the Slice-n-Save program, feature cutting videos on TV screens at the meat case, in-store demos, and cattle industry informational handouts,” says Adam Wegner, Director of Channel Marketing for the Nebraska Beef Council. “Our Nebraska Cattlewomen will also be in the stores, answering questions about the land and their legacy, helping to bridge that gap in understanding about modern beef production.
"Even though some of our stores are in smaller communities and consumers aren’t that far removed from the farm, we have heard from store managers that it’s important for consumers to have a local connection to where their food comes from,” says Wegner. “Extending the national program on a state level only helps us further communicate that we have a safe product that consumers can feel confident purchasing.”
The result is an additional 233 independent retailers in 11 states have committed to launching the Slice-n-Save program during the Beef Roundup Promotion.
“The Slice ‘n Save program provides consumers with the knowledge they need to buy boneless middle meat subprimals and cut the meat at home into steaks and roasts,” says Laurie Bryant, importer from Reston, Va., and vice-chair of the checkoff’s Global Consumer Marketing Group. “The goal of the program is to give consumers the know-how to purchase tender and delicious middle meat cuts at a lower price per pound, take them home, cut them, and then properly freeze them.”
For more information about the beef checkoff’s retail program, visit BeefRetail.org. For more information about your checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
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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.
Source: The Beef Checkoff Program