HARRIS TEETER, KROGER WIN BEEF BACKER AWARDS
RENO, Nev. — Harris Teeter, the Kroger Co. and Foodmaster Supermarkets, Chelsea, Mass., each have been named winners of the first annual national Retail Beef Backer Awards, sponsored by The Beef Checkoff Program. Winners were selected based on three separate criteria: excellence in beef merchandising, the success of company-developed beef promotions, and successful tie-ins with Beef Checkoff-funded programs including Easy Fresh Cooking labels, on-pack nutrition labeling, Beef Training Camp, Summer Grilling promotions and the Beef Value Cuts program. “The Retail Beef Backer Awards Program is one way beef producers can show their appreciation to retailers for the exceptional work they do to increase beef demand,” said Jim Henger, executive director of retail marketing for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which contracts to manage retail programs for the Beef Checkoff. “We are excited to award these winners for their hard work over the last year.” Presentations were made at the 2008 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & Trade Show here earlier this month. Submission forms and rules for this year's contest are available online at www.beefretail.org.
NCBA TO INCREASE BEEF CHECKOFF PROGRAM FUNDING
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Members of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association here have approved a resolution that could potentially double funding for The Beef Checkoff Program, which helps pay for advertising campaigns, consumer research and retail promotions supporting beef sales. Currently, the program is funded with a $1 per head fee, and while the recent resolution did not specify a fee increase, cattlemen present at the NCBA's convention in Reno, Nev., this month reportedly agreed that $2 per head would help the program meet the current needs of U.S. ranchers. Any fee increase will first require Congress to amend the Beef Promotion and Research Act.
