Panel Offers Insight On Consumers
Panel encourages beef industry to develop convenient dishes, educate chefs and provide a variety of flavorful beef entrée choices.
by Kindra Gordon for Angus Journal
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 4, 2014) — A blogger, chef and two corporate beef executives shared their viewpoints and perspectives of the beef industry as part of a panel discussion focused on consumer demand outlook. The discussion was convened at a special session Feb. 5 during the 2014 Cattle Industry Convention in Nashville, Tenn.
Atlanta-based mom, cross-fit trainer and blogger Amee Livingston, who can be found online at www.ameessavorydish.com, said lean beef is an important part of her family’s diet — and she recommends it to her clients at the gym. However, she said confusion about beef still exists among everyday consumers, and she encouraged the beef industry to do a better job of “getting their message out there.”
Molly McAdams (far right) moderated a panel discussion on consumer preferences for beef. The panel included (continuing from the right) Amee Livingston, Jason McConnell, Joe Schechinger and Steve Sands.
She also noted that millenials seek meals that are quick, and a grilled chicken salad is an easy, healthy fast-food choice over a burger. She pointed out that beef currently lacks the option of offering a steak salad at fast-food restaurants.
Jason McConnell is a chef based in Franklin, Tenn. He is involved in several independent restaurants and said, “Beef is always a centerpiece of what we do.” He pointed out that most chefs will feature what they know — and a lot of them don’t know a lot about beef. Thus, he encouraged more programs to help educate chefs about beef.
Within his restaurants, McConnell noted that patrons, especially millenials, are asking questions about where the beef is from, if it is natural, organic, etc.
Joe Schechinger, senior director of commodity risk management with Wendy’s, said his company is changing its advertising strategy to target more millienial’s via social media. They’ve tested this with some products and have found great success.
He also noted that millenials want “variety, variety, variety.” He added, “They want flavors with their food.” Wendy’s is offering more options to address this interest.
Steve Sands, vice president of protein for Performance Foodservice Group (PFG), which is the third-largest food distributor in the country, pointed out that everyone in the industry needs to realize they are part of the same team with a goal to work together to create more beef sales. His company is seeing double-digit growth in its high-end beef brands like CAB and Braveheart Angus Beef.
However, he is also seeing many family-type and quick-service restaurants decreasing the beef entrées and beef portion size on their menus.
“These are symptoms of losing market share,” Sands said.
He emphasized that “quality” beef will continue to be important — not just rate of gain and yield. He concluded, “One size does not fit all consumers. We’ve got to offer consumers what they want and deliver a product that performs to their expectations.”
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