Bedford – The Pennsylvania Beef Council (PBC) welcomed the opportunity to engage with the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND), by becoming a diamond sponsor at their Annual Meeting and AME Conference, March 28-30, in Pittsburgh, PA.
The educational conference drew over 260 dietitians and health professionals from across the commonwealth.
As part of the beef checkoff’s sponsorship, speaker, Keith Ayoob, EdD, RDN, FADN, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, addressed the group. Ayoob has maintained a clinical practice at Albert Einstein College of Medicine for over 30 years, specializing in obesity, child nutrition, and family dynamics.
During his session titled “Protein Needs: How Much Muscle Does The Research Have,” he addressed the recent report from the private EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet and Health recently released on diet and sustainability. He capitalized on the science behind beef’s role in a healthy and sustainable diet. Research shows that beef promotes health and helps to prevent nutrient deficiencies1. Also, environmentally, cattle are unique in our food system, because they upcycle inedible grass and plants into high-quality protein2 for families to thrive.
Post session Ayoob commented, “I was very happy to see the room packed, with standing room only. The audience was very receptive and the quality of the questions reflected a genuine interest in the subject matter. I think we may have cleared some confusion about protein and also given them additional insight into its importance throughout the life cycle.”
Additional engagements at the conference included a strolling reception featuring beef on Friday, March 29. The reception took place just before the movie screening of “Food Evolution” followed by an interactive panel discussion. The screening shares the science behind GMO’s and how the survival of our species has always depended on advances in food and agriculture. The expert panel included Dr. David Wolfgang, Veterinarian; Dustin Heeter, Farmer and PSU Extension Agent; and Keith Ayoob, Registered Dietitian as well as Rosanne Rust, Dietician and moderator of the discussion.
The Pennsylvania Academy, an affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is the advocate of the dietetics profession serving the public through the promotion of optimal nutrition, health and well-being. The organization consists of nearly 3,700 members throughout Pennsylvania.
Media Contact: Nichole Hockenberry, 570-295-8049; nhockenberry@pabeef.org.
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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 may 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. Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties.
1 McNeill S, Van Elswyk ME. Red meat in global nutrition. Meat Sci. 2012 Nov;92(3):166-73. doi: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2012.03.014. Epub 2012 Apr 1.
2 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2016. Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle: Eighth Revised Edition. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/19014
