Thanks in part to a partnership with the Beef Checkoff Program, the American Heart Association has listed three beef cuts as part of its Food Certification Program. This program places the association’s heart-check mark on food packages to helps healthy consumers over age 2 identify foods that meet criteria for saturated fat and cholesterol.
The three beef cuts that met the American Heart Association’s criteria for extra lean and now are certified to display the heart-check mark include:
– Boneless Top Sirloin Petite Roast (select grade)
– Top Sirloin Filet (select grade)
– Top Sirloin Kabob (select grade)
The American Heart Association’s heart-check mark is the one of the most trusted icons on food packaging today – and it continues to resonate with health-conscious shoppers, even in a challenging economy. In fact, more than 83 percent of consumers have an aided awareness of the heart-check mark, and nearly 75 percent of primary grocery shoppers say the heart-check mark improves the likelihood that they’ll buy a product.
This certification allows retailers to display the heart-check mark on fresh case beef packages, promoting the health benefits of a serving of these particular beef cuts to their customers.
To learn more about receiving the American Heart Association’s certification, please visit www.BeefRetail.org.
The last business conducted during the Board of Directors meeting of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board was the electing of new officers. The nominating committee announced their slate and a vote passed their nominations.
The now, just past, Chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board is Dan Dierschke, Texas, pictured being interviewed in the media room at the Cattle Industry Convention. One of the officer duties is to be available to the media during the summer meeting and annual convention. Hopefully, it’s a mostly enjoyable task!
Members of the new team of National Beef Ambassadors showed up at the Cattle Industry Convention. Pictured are (l-r) Kelli Fulkerson, Michigan, Jessica Sweet, California, Kristen Stufft, Pennsylvania and Austin Joyce, Texas. Not with us is Maddy Ruble, South Dakota. I interviewed them all together.
A draft version of the Beef Industry Long-Range Plan 2011-2013 has been presented here at the Cattle Industry Convention. It will be discussed and refined I’m sure. The hope is that it will be adopted in a final version by the end of this meeting so work can get started on the 3 year plan.
It’s easy to think that in the land of the plenty, everyone has consistent access to high-quality, nourishing foods, like beef. However, according to the USDA, in 2009, more than 50 million Americans were food insecure and did not have consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle. 
If I can get to Denver in time I hope to meet and interview our National Beef Ambassadors. They’re pictured here with Daren Williams, 
But the convention must go on. And so it does. A few meetings have gotten under way today, including a meeting of state beef council execs with the Cattlemen’s Beef Board’s collections compliance staff to discuss checkoff collections issues across the country. Another meeting going on this afternoon is of the members of the 
