Research
Being BOLD with Beef!
The checkoff-funded “Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet” (BOLD) study at Penn State University researched whether a DASH-style diet (gold standard heart-healthy diet), including frequent intakes of lean beef could be equally effective to the original DASH diet, demonstrating that it is unnecessary to restrict lean beef intake for heart health or to achieve a healthful dietary pattern. The associated study paper will be published in the January 2012 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Visit checkoff research for more information about human nutrition research.
Reviewing E. coli Interventions
The beef checkoff recently published a white paper, “Pre-Harvest Control of E. coli O157:H7-A Literature Review,” which addresses controls and interventions that have been proposed or implemented to reduce pathogenic E. coli in cattle. The interventions are divided into three broad categories: 1) management practices and transport; 2) cattle water and feed management; and 3) live animal treatments. All interventions, including those in pre-harvest, are more effective atreducing pathogens when in a multiple-hurdle approach where pre-harvest options complement in-plant interventions.
For additional information, check out these sites:
Consumers looking for nutrition and dietary information about beef can go to www.beefnutrition.org to order or download materials and research information, or find a schedule of nutrition events and seminars, and.
Consumers, producers and other industry professionals can go to www.beefresearch.org for summaries of checkoff-funded research in the areas of beef safety, human nutrition, product enhancement and market research, projects which provide the foundation for checkoff programs in promotion, marketing, education, information and foreign marketing.
Safety is a priority of the beef industry and www.bifsco.org, houses information about the Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo), its discussions and meetings, an application to join the council, and consumer information about beef safety.
Finding new convenient cuts is one very successful way the checkoff has helped add value to the beef carcass over the years. In cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, http://bovine.unl.edu/ is the industry’s primary beef cut resource.
Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program information is available at www.bqa.org where you can find systematic information about coupling proper animal-husbandry techniques with accepted scientific knowledge to improve the quality of the end beef products.
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a misunderstood but potentially serious animal disease. For the most accurate information, turn to www.bseinfo.org, an informational site housing current information regarding for consumers, producers and beef industry representatives.
While never occurring in the United States, www.fmdinfo.org is an informational site housing current information regarding foot-and-mouth disease for consumers, producers and beef industry representatives.
According to the Beef Act, research means studies relative to the effectiveness of market development and promotion efforts, studies relating to the nutritional value of beef and beef products, other related food science research including beef safety and pathogen research, product-enhancement research, market research and new product development research. Checkoff-funded research aims to maintain and increase consumer confidence in beef and beef products and provides the basis for development of program focus in all areas of checkoff investment by measuring market demands and tracking the state of the industry. The checkoff cannot fund cattle production research.
Funded by the Beef Checkoff.
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