News Update

News Update
Aug. 17, 2007

Poll: Most Consumers Will Pay More for Domestic Meat

Seventy percent of shoppers say they’re willing to pay more for produce, poultry, meat, seafood and other food products produced in the United States, according to a recent poll by Zobgy International, Meatingplace.com reports.

According to the survey, one in three respondents would pay up to 10% more for U.S. food, and 46% would be willing to pay from 10-25% more. Eleven percent said they’d be willing to pay 25% more, and almost 15% said they’d pay even more.

Ninety percent of survey respondents said knowing the country of origin would allow consumers to make safer food choices, and 88% said they’d like all food to be labeled as such, according to the web site.

Beef Ambassadors to Compete in New Orleans

Students from 25 states will compete for cash awards and college scholarships at The National Beef Ambassador Competition, Oct. 18-20, at the Radisson New Orleans Airport Hotel in New Orleans, La. The $5,000 cash awards are sponsored exclusively by Tyson Foods, Inc. Three winners will also receive scholarship awards sponsored by the American National CattleWomen Foundation, Inc.

The National Beef Ambassador Program (NBAP) selects a team of five enthusiastic young adults, who spend the year telling the beef production story to consumers and students across the country. The program is funded in part by America’s beef producers through the beef checkoff program and is managed by American National CattleWomen Inc. (ANCW) on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB).

Competition is based on the contestants’ ability to present a speech geared toward consumers regarding beef’s nutrition, quality and production. Contestants receive extensive media training while at the competition and are also judged on their performances in media interviews.

For registration and more information, visit www.nationalbeefambassador.org. For questions regarding the National Beef Ambassador Program or this event, please contact Carol Abrahamzon at cabrahamzon@beef.org or 507-724-3905.

Bush Calls for Enhanced Hunting and Land Conservation

President Bush issued an Executive Order today directing coordination among federal agencies to work directly with the Sporting Conservation Council to promote expansion and enhancement of hunting opportunities and the management of game species and their habitat.

The Sporting Conservation Council, a federally chartered advisory committee, advises the departments of Interior and Agriculture on wildlife conservation issues such as hunting access, education, healthy landscapes and energy development.

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns and Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne will direct their federal departments to evaluate trends in hunting participation and implement actions that will expand and enhance hunting opportunities for the public and establish goals to conserve and manage wildlife habitats for healthy and productive populations of game animals. Together, the Departments of Agriculture and Interior manage nearly 700 million acres of land in the United States.

ERS Releases Data

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service (ERS) has released research pertaining to meat price spreads, livestock and meat trade data and the feedlot outlook.

The meat price spread data set provides monthly average price values, and the differences among those values, at the farm, wholesale, and retail stages of the production and marketing chain for selected cuts of beef, pork, and broilers. In addition, retail prices are provided for beef and pork cuts, turkey, whole chickens, eggs and dairy products.

Visit www.ers.usda.gov/Data/MeatPriceSpreads to access the report.

The livestock and meat trade data set contains monthly and annual data for the past 1-2 years for imports and exports of live cattle and hogs, beef and veal and other animals and products. The tables report physical quantities, not dollar values or unit prices. Breakdowns by major trading countries are included. Visit www.ers.usda.gov/Data/MeatTrade to view the full report.

The feed outlook examines supply, use, prices, and trade for feed grains, including supply and demand prospects in major importing and exporting countries. While the report focuses on corn, it also contains information on sorghum, barley, oats and hay. Visit http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1273 for more information.

FSIS Introduces Web Feature

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) today launched askFSIS, a new web-based feature, designed to help answer technical and policy questions regarding inspection and public health regulations 24 hours a day.

The new interactive feature will provide answers on technical issues in more depth than the standard list of “frequently asked questions” currently available through FSIS’ site. It will allow visitors to seek answers on topics such as exporting, labeling and inspection-related policies, programs and procedures. Users can also register to be notified when answers are updated.

To access askFSIS, visit FSIS’ web site at www.fsis.usda.gov and select “Help” from the global navigation buttons at the top of the main page.

For Fun: How Does Fair Food Fare?

Going to the fair is a once-a-year experience for many of you, and eating the food there is at the top of the list of fun things to do. Into which food group does most of the food you can buy at the fair fit?

That’s right — under discretionary calories or what we think of as “extras.” Those extra calories are typically limited to 100 to 300 calories for most of us if you check on the www.pyramid.gov web site. A few hundred calories aren’t going to go far when you start looking at your food choices at the fair.

One way to enjoy extra goodies is to plan ahead and consume fewer calories a day or two before you go to the fair. But keep in mind that once you get there, you will want to:

• Pass up the mega-size drinks. Instead of choosing a giant size calorie-laden soda, juice or fresh squeezed lemonade, opt for the smaller version instead. An even better option would be to bring along water, which is calorie-free, and then you can start your calorie balance sheet at zero.

• Share with others. Since there are so many tempting options, think about having a little bit of several different things to keep from feeling deprived. Cotton candy is an easy treat to share. All things on a stick and deep-fried don't fit into this category as easily.

• Avoid grazing. When you “graze” it’s hard to know how much you've eaten. As you walk around you buy this-and-that to munch on and it’s easy to lose track. Check out the food options as you’re walking, make your selections and then sit and eat. That way you’ll be more conscious of what’s gone into your mouth.

• Consider setting limits. A funnel cake is a deep-fried sugar-topped delicacy chock full of fat and calories. Let’s face it; the fat grams in this choice are way over any reasonable limit in a healthy diet. You may want to enjoy this treat without sharing, but it would be advisable to make good choices the rest of the day.

Another good option is to plan for more activity such as walking to burn off the calories in those fair delicacies. Wear comfortable shoes and consider wearing a pedometer if you really want to track your steps. One mile equals 2,000 steps. A 120-pound person burns about 80 calories an hour walking at 2 miles per hour; a 180-pound person burns around 120 calories an hour.

The number of calories you burn walking depends on your own body weight and the distance you walk. Heavier-weight people will burn more calories per mile, and you’ll burn more calories the further you walk. If you can walk a mile in 15 minutes, you’ll likely burn about 100 calories, though while at the fair you’re unlikely to be walking at that pace.

Here’s a list of how the calories in typical fair foods translate into the number of miles you would need to walk to burn off those calories.

• Caramel apple: 3 miles
• Corn dog: 4.5 miles
• Cheese fries: 4.5 miles
• Cotton candy: 1.5 miles
• Fried candy bar on-a-stick: 4.5 miles
• 6-inch funnel cake: 3 miles
• 32-oz. soft drink: 2.5 miles
• Sno-cone: 2.5 miles
• Soft pretzel: 3 miles

Even with the best intentions some of you may feel that you’ve overindulged by the time you’re leaving the fair. If you’re looking for a back up plan, consider that tomorrow is another day. Get yourself back on track with your food choices and get going on your exercise. A transgression here or there for a special occasion will not undo an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

Remember, it's all about the lifestyle choices that you make most every day that really matter.

— by Shirley Perryman, Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

— compiled by Crystal Albers, associate editor, Angus Productions Inc.