AHA Certifies Three More Beef Cuts
The mark has a record of boosting sales of lean beef at retail.
The National Beef Checkoff Program announced that three additional fresh beef cuts now are certified to display the heart-check mark of the American Heart Association (AHA). With that, retailers have the opportunity to market a total of six different extra-lean beef items to shoppers using one of the most trusted nutrition icons on food packaging today.
The extra-lean beef cuts that meet the AHA’s criteria for heart-healthy foods as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern include the following USDA Select-grade cuts:
- Sirloin Tip Steak
- Bottom Round Steak
- Top Sirloin Stir-Fry
- Boneless Top Sirloin Petite Roast
- Top Sirloin Filet
- Top Sirloin Kabob
“Having the American Heart Association certify three additional extra-lean beef cuts is yet another important milestone in the beef checkoff’s efforts to help consumers understand the positive health and nutritional benefits of beef,” says Jeanne Harland, beef producer from Illinois and chairman of the checkoff’s nutrition and health subcommittee. “Using strong science-based guidelines and criteria, the American Heart Association has now certified six different beef cuts, and we will continue to support and apply scientific evidence to show consumers how they can eat healthfully with extra-lean beef.”
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans and leading health organizations, including the AHA, recognize lean meat as a nutritious food and a single serving of lean meat can be part of a healthy diet and lifestyle.
“Independent research and this certification from the American Heart Association confirms to consumers that extra-lean beef can be a building block in an overall heart-healthy diet,” says Cheryl Hendricks, a registered dietitian with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), contractor for the National Beef Checkoff Program. “We know that consumers are looking to retailers as a trusted source of nutrition information. Displaying the American Heart Association heart-check mark in the meatcase makes it easier for consumers to identify heart-healthy extra-lean beef and, as a result, grow beef sales among health-conscious shoppers.”
Hundreds of stores across the United States currently display the heart-check mark on certified beef items in the meatcase, and retailers can work with the National Beef Checkoff Program to participate in the AHA Food Certification Program to receive significant cost savings.
Integrated promotional tools are available to help retailers merchandise the certified cuts where it matters most — the point of purchase. Resources such as on-pack labels, posters and recipes help make healthier choices with extra-lean beef cuts in the meatcase and, ultimately, generate fresh beef sales. In fact, nearly 75% of shoppers say the heart-check mark improves the likelihood that they’ll buy a product and boosts incremental sales an average of 5% when point-of-sale materials are used to promote certified products.
Supermarket chain K-V-A-T Food Stores signed up to participate in the program in 2011 and offers AHA-certified beef products in 94 of its stores.
“We’re extremely pleased with the results we’ve seen through the American Heart Association certification program,” said Steve Holloway, director of meat and seafood operations for K-V-A-T Food Stores Inc. “The on-pack labels and merchandising support from the beef checkoff have proved valuable in educating our shoppers that they can still eat extra-lean beef as part of a healthy lifestyle. It’s been an opportunity to bring consumers back to the category and, as a result, we’ve seen our extra-lean beef sales soar.”
The AHA established the heart-check mark in 1995 to give consumers an easy, reliable system for identifying heart-healthy foods as a first step in building a sensible eating plan. More than 900 products that bear the heart-check mark have been screened and verified by the association to meet criteria for heart-healthy foods as part of an overall healthy dietary pattern. To learn more about the mark, and to see a complete list of certified products and participating companies, visit HeartCheckMark.org.
For more information about your beef checkoff investment, visit MyBeefCheckoff.com.
Editor’s Note: This article is from the beef checkoff.
