One of the things Jennifer Nealson oversees for the Dollar a Head Beef Checkoff efforts- which are contracted by the checkoff to the National Cattlemen?s Beef Association- is research projects. At the recent 2023 Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, Nealson said the checkoff released a new piece of research all about today?s consumer.
?In that report, it is about a 12-page report, that talks all about today?s beef consumers, and in that report, there are many measures that we are winning against chicken, and I am excited to share that over the many years and all of the efforts we have been doing on the promotion side, we are starting and continuing to see that we are making very good progress,? Nealson said.
The report found that beef is the number one protein choice. Additionally, Nealson said people trust beef producers over chicken producers, and beef is also perceived by consumers as more nutritional than chicken.
?We are very excited about that, and what that means to the producer, and we also noticed that some of the margin there is too thin to celebrate yet,? Nealson said. ?We need to keep going. We need to continue to invest in the promotion of beef and the value and versatility of this protein and why it truly is the number one protein in so many ways.?
Through that research, Nealson said they learned that 81 percent of the population eats chicken at least once a week as opposed to only 69 percent that eat beef once a week.
?We really need to increase the frequency by which people are eating beef, and I think many our marketing programs are helping consumers understand and get more comfortable with the selection and the preparation, and even how to use one meal many times,? Nealson said. ?Because, as we know, that versatility of beef is beyond any other protein- all the things you can do with it.?
For more information, visit ncba.org.
