DENVER – The American Lamb Board has approved a new long-range plan for 2018-2022 to focus the work of the checkoff and its stakeholders in the areas of promotion, information and research over the next five years — and it boldly sets a demand growth goal.
The strategic objective of the plan is to increase demand for American Lamb by 2 percent annually over the next five years, for a total demand growth of 10 percent. Per capita consumption of lamb in the U.S. has remained steady over the past 10 years at approximately 1 pound per person per year with nearly 20 percent of lamb consumption occurring during the spring holidays. Urban shoppers are the most likely to consume lamb with the highest consumption occurring on the East and West coasts. In 2015, lamb demand was up 7 percent compared to 2014 and increased again in 2016 by 2.5 percent.
"The future holds tremendous promise for our industry which produces a unique, flavorful, tender and nutritious protein that meets the changing needs and preferences of consumers," said Jim Percival, Xenia, Ohio, ALB chairman. "Improving the quality and consistency of our products to ensuring consumers have a great eating experience every time, increasing our industry's productivity and stabilizing our prices are all critical to the success of creating demand for American lamb."
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