Six new checkoff ads for foodservice tout beef's versatility, taste

Increasing the use of beef in restaurants nationwide is the goal behind six new ads that the Beef Checkoff Program is placing in foodservice trade publications. The ads promote beef's versatility and taste, and highlight underutilized cuts of beef that have potential for increasing the value of the beef carcass.

The ads showcase new beef value cuts in menu suggestions for commercial restaurants and noncommercial segments. Among the menuing ideas in the ads are ones that include Flat Iron steak, such as Steak & Zucchini Ribbon Salad and Peking Steak Bites; Petite Tender, featured in a Brand New Carpetbag and Blackened Steak Waldorf; and Ranch Steak, in Steak Tostada To Go. For kids, there's a unique, creative and tempting idea called a Steak Sundae, which features cubes of grilled steak layered with mashed potatoes and warm barbecue sauce.

The checkoff-funded BEEFlexible ad campaign touts beef's versatility--the protein that fits regional and ethnic flavor trends, across all menu categories. Beautiful food photography and clever headlines are designed to inspire menu creativity with beef. The 2006 BEEFlexible ads appear in Nation's Restaurant News, R&I, Restaurant Business, and Food Arts--trade publications that are read by menu decision-makers across the country.

"The dishes featured in these ads are innovative, original and most of all very appetizing," according to Cattlemen's Beef Board member Laurie Bryant, who is chairman of the Joint Foodservice Committee. "They are certain to capture the imagination and interest of foodservice operators throughout the U.S. Innovation drives the competitive foodservice industry. It's important to be on the leading edge of menu trends, and these ads inspire restaurant chefs and owners to think about beef in new ways."

BEEFlexible is part of a coordinated foodservice strategy recommended by the Joint Foodservice Committee, which met during the 2006 Cattle Industry Convention & Trade Show in Denver recently.

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.

Date: 2/23/06