August VEAL BLOG
Promotions
2019 Cattlemen’s Beef Board Summer Conference: Promotions Update
The North American Meat Institute, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, provided FY19 veal promotions updates and recommendations for the FY20 veal authorization request.
The highlights included a newly designed mobile responsive veal website featuring wellness recipes, trending nutrition topics, preparation and cooking tips as well as an extensive library of recipes, images and videos as well as partnerships, incentive contests, retail promotions, veal farm tours, culinary and blogger recipe competitions and digital outreach to consumers and industry leadership.
Recommended activities for FY20 included strategic partnership and collaboration approach with State Beef Councils, Brands and Products, Bloggers, Retailers and Restaurants, and Packer-Processors. Digital marketing and communications will be a priority to extend veal’s core audiences and key influencers. Re-inventing veal with globally inspired recipes and working with a national content syndication network will help to maximize veal’s reach.
Veal Quality Assurance
Influencer Tour Addresses Misconceptions about Veal
Seven food writers participated in a food and farm excursion in late June to see first-had how veal calves are raised. The North American Meat Institute, on behalf of the Beef Checkoff, sponsored the tour organized by Look East PR. The ReVEAL Food and Farm Tour included visiting veal farms in Pennsylvania hosted by Marcho Farms as well as veal farms in Indiana hosted by Midwest Veal LLC and Strauss Veal Feeds. The food writers on the tour represented Rust Nutrition, Souffle Bombay, Windy City Dinner Fairy, Taste and See, Confetti & Bliss, Claire Matern, and Bell’alimento. Combined, these professionals engage with more than over half a million food and nutrition followers. Catelli Brothers hosted the welcome dinner featuring veal. After the three-day tour each influencer received a delivery of ground veal, cutlets and chops from Mountain States Rosen Veal to create their own veal recipes to feature on their websites and social media platforms.
“The culture surrounding raising veal calves has been a taboo subject for as long as I can remember, “ the Windy City Dinner Fairy stated in her blog post about the tour. “I’m here today to tell you that veal calves are humanely raised.”
Regulatory Affairs
FDA Seeking Comments on Transit Times to Slaughter and Milking Frequency. FDA is seeking comments on transit times to slaughter, milking frequency and how end users interpret zero-day withdrawal period or zero-day milk discard time statements found on new animal drug labeling. Electronic or written comments are due by Oct. 8, 2019. Directions for submitting electronic and written comments can be found here.
APHIS Adds Scotland to List of Regions with Controlled Risk of BSE. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has added Scotland to its list of regions classified as having a controlled risk for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), and thereby removing Scotland from its list of regions considered to be a negligible risk for BSE. APHIS made this decision because of the confirmation of classical C-type BSE in an indigenous cow in Scotland. This case of BSE was confirmed in Scotland on Oct. 18, 2018. More information on APHIS’s determination can be found here
FSIS Posts Updated Dataset on Imports. FSIS updated the publicly posted dataset on import refusals for products regulated by FSIS on Aug. 15. Federal law requires every commercial shipment of imported meat, poultry, and egg products to be inspected prior to product entering U.S. commerce. FSIS inspects each shipment to verify labeling, proper certification, general condition, any signs of tampering and to identify product adulterated by transportation damage. FSIS also performs additional activities on a random and/or for-cause basis such as physical product examination and laboratory sampling for pathogens and chemical residues. More info can be found here.
U.S. Dairy Industry Signs Historic Agreement Protecting U.S. Food Products. The Consorzio Tutela Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) signed a historic agreement that is expected to pave the way for a new dialogue on the protection of products of origin in the U.S. and in global markets – including those bearing geographical indications, while respecting the rights of companies to produce and market products bearing generic names. The new agreement provides greater support for protection in the U.S. and around the world for the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Protected Designation of Origin, while establishing the free use of the generic term “mozzarella” to describe any cheese produced according to the definition provided by the Codex Alimentarius or FDA Standards of Identity. Consorzio President Domenico Raimondo, CCFN Executive Director and USDEC Senior Vice President Jaime Castaneda signed the agreement last week in Caserta, Italy. The full story can be found here.
IPCC Releases Study on ‘Climate Change and Land.’ On Aug. 8 the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its study called “Climate Change and Land.” Despite media coverage focused on reducing meat consumption, the underlying report was much more nuanced and did not recommend dietary changes. In fact, the report said, “animal-sourced food produced in resilient, sustainable & low-GHG emission systems present major opportunities for adaptation & mitigation while generating significant co-benefits in terms of human health.” There were several national news stories that more accurately characterized the report and put agriculture and meat productions’ greenhouse gas emissions in more proper perspective. University of California-Davis Cooperative Extension animal science specialist Dr. Frank Mitloehner worked with CBS on a story which also featured perspective from a cattle rancher. Mitloehner indicates it would be better to reduce food waste and make food production more efficient.
Meetings, Events and Education
Animal Care and Handling Registration Open. The 2019 Animal Care and Handling Conference, which will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, from Oct. 17 – 18, is open for registration. There is also a pre-conference workshop – available for an additional fee during registration – for sessions focusing on beef and pork fitness for transport, euthanasia and stunning as well as research updates on stunning and sensibility. This conference is the leading animal welfare educational opportunity for meat companies, their customers and those involved in the production and management of livestock and meat products. More information, including a full overview, agenda and how to register, can be found here.
Meat Industry Food Safety Conference Registration Open. Registration is open for the Meat Industry Food Safety Conference, which will be held Sept. 4 – 5, 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois. The Meat Industry Food Safety Conference provides valuable insights for the beef, pork and processed meat industries through a combination of general sessions and sector specific break-out sessions. The conference will bring together top experts from industry and academia to address the most critical issues the meat industry faces today. Topics include pathogen control, foreign material control, recall preparedness, and industry innovation in a setting conducive to idea-sharing, in-depth discussion, and practical problem solving. More information on the conference and registration can be found here.
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