Health professionals are cited as the #1 source of health information, with 40 percent of adults stating they ask a professional for information about “health problems” and 21 percent stating they’d seek out a professional for advice on personal diet/nutrition. (Source: 2011 Porter Novelli Styles) Noting the importance of this audience and their tendencies to recommend (or not recommend, based on misinformation) beef, the beef checkoff, in collaboration with state beef councils, through the Nutrition Seminar Program, provides leading experts to speak on cutting-edge issues at various state academy of nutrition and dietetics meetings, as well as other health professional organization annual meetings.
This year’s season recently came to a close where 36 speaking engagements were coordinated by various state beef councils, with some of the most popular sessions including:
- Sustainable American Dinner Plate, Mary Lee Chin, MS, RD
- Celiac Disease and Gluten-Related Disorders: Clearing Up the Clutter in a Gluten-Filled World, Shelly Asplin, MA, RD, LMNT
- Perfect Parings: The art & Science of Food & Wine Pairing, Laurie Forster
- Beef and Heart Disease: Should it be What’s for Dinner?, Mike Roussell, PhD
“It is important that we provide science-based information to the nutrition and dietetic community,” says Garry Wiley, Michigan beef producer and vice-chairman of the beef checkoff’s Nutrition and Health Subcommittee. “Sharing important checkoff-funded nutrition research is a win-win-win for consumers, dietitians and beef producers.”
The checkoff provides expert speakers on the topic areas of: chronic disease prevention and management, family-focused nutrition, foodservice and culinary arts, hot topics in the nutrition environment, lifecycle nutrition, professional development, sports nutrition, obesity and weight management and the power of protein.
Checkoff research shows that almost half (45 percent) of Americans say they are extremely or very likely to add one more beef meal per week after discovering nutrient-rich lean beef and how it compares favorably to chicken.
“We know health and nutrition are important drivers when it comes to protein choice for consumers,” says Wiley. “By educating this community about the importance of beef in a diet, we are ultimately giving consumers permission to enjoy beef, maybe one more time per week!”
For more information about beef, health, nutrition and protein, visit the checkoff’s BeefNutrition.org website.
For more information about your checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
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
