CONVENIENT BEEF PRODUCTS RECEIVE BEEF INDUSTRY’S BRAND MARK

DENVER (August 2, 2000) – Nine new convenient beef products have been recognized with the beef industry’s checkoff-funded Brand Mark, which signifies that these products deliver what consumers expect from beef: taste, quality and satisfaction.  The new Brand Mark-approved beef products, which are now available in stores across the country, include:

• Farmland^®  – Beef Pot Roast, Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy, Beef Ribs with BBQ Sauce

• Hormel – Meat Loaf with Tomato Sauce, Beef Tips with Gravy

• Armour^® KC Masterpiece™ – Shredded Beef with BBQ Sauce

• Lloyd’s^® – Lloyd’s Beef Back Ribs, Lloyd’s BBQ Sauce with Sliced Beef, Lloyd’s Party Pack! Meatballs

• No Name Steaks^® – Quick & Tender Beef Filet, No Name Steak Sandwich, No Name Steak Bites, Midwest Pride Filet of Sirloin Steaks

• Ortega – Nacho Beef Bake, Chunky Salsa Beef, Four Layer Dip, Nacho Beef Dip, Beef Taco Filling, Fajita Skillet

• Red Oak Farms – Beef Pot Roast (4 individually wrapped, 6-oz. packets), Beef Pot Roast (16 oz.), Sirloin Tri-Tip, Beef Short Ribs

• Stouffers^® Oven Sensations™ – Yankee Pot Roast and Beef, with Roasted Potatoes & Peppers

• Stouffers^® Skillet Sensations™ – Beef Stroganoff Family Meal

The Brand Mark is an integral part of the beef industry’s Brand-Like Initiative, which was implemented to emphasize the beef industry’s focus to put consumer needs front and center.  Since the effort began in 1997, more than 30 branded beef products have been approved and can currently use the Brand Mark on product packaging and in their marketing efforts, including Stouffer’s^® Skillet Sensations™ and Louis Rich^® Carving Board Beef Steak Strips. 

“Brands are playing an increasingly important role in the beef industry, as consumers continue to prefer trusted brands and as more branded beef products enter the marketplace,” said James Herring, chairman of the Brand-Like Commission and a Texas beef producer. “The Brand Mark is owned by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and licensed by NCBA to help boost consumer perceptions of these products and the retailers who sell them, which we believe will help build demand for the products.” 

“Brand Mark-approved products are carefully tested by the NCBA Culinary Center, and reviewed by the Brand-Like Commission,” Herring added.  “The Brand Mark helps tell consumers that a beef product has been extensively analyzed to ensure it delivers a great-tasting, high-quality beef experience.”

Each quarter, the Brand-Like Commission, a nine-member panel of leading U.S. beef producers, and the Culinary Center of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) review branded, convenient beef products on a range of criteria for potential use of the Brand Mark.  For Brand Mark approval, a branded beef product must: 

• deliver the great beef taste consumers expect

• feature accurate on-pack preparation instructions

• include safe food handling on-pack instructions

• feature correct product names and UPC coding

“The beef industry will continue to identify convenient beef products that meet Brand Mark standards,” said Carl Blackwell, NCBA’s executive director, New Product Development.  “The Brand Mark represents a ‘symbol of excellence’ within the beef industry, helping consumers find beef products that deliver the taste and quality they expect, while also being convenient and easy to use.

“We also plan to expand the variety of Brand Mark products through partnerships with other national branded companies,” Blackwell added.  “By using the Brand Mark in other segments of the industry, we hope to establish greater presence and meaning with consumers and begin creating equity throughout the entire beef value chain.”

Each approved product manufacturer must sign a one-year partnership agreement, and products must be reviewed after the agreement expires if any element in product formulation or packaging has changed.

The Brand Mark also has been approved for use by allied brand partners – products typically used or associated with beef products, such as new Ziploc^Ò Double Guard^ä freezer bags.  The beef industry will continue to work with strategic partners who contribute to the taste, quality and satisfaction of beef.

National beef industry marketing programs are funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff program, which is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board.  This 110-member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the $1-per-head checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement the provisions of the Federal Order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the  marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.