How to tell beef's sustainability story on restaurant menus

Today’s consumers are both curious and deeply invested in how their food is grown and raised—making beef’s rich production story a compelling marketing point.

You can certainly benefit from leaning into marketing beef: Foodservice customers who order steak report a higher satisfaction with their meal, spend more and are more likely to continue visiting your restaurant.* The team at Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. is here to help you leverage these stories with your colleagues and customers.

Read on for insight into the just-released 2017 Cattlemen’s Stewardship Review to learn about how beef is raised and related sustainability efforts underway directly from the U.S. farmers and ranchers who raise it.

The first CSR survey, completed in 2010, set a benchmark for the cattle industry. The new report shows improvements have been made in all areas tracked in the survey.

Beef farmers and ranchers are dedicated to producing safe and delicious beef. Year after year, the goal is to produce better beef by implementing research-based improvements across three areas: nutritional value, quality and safety:

• In 2017, 90% of cattle farmers and ranchers said they understand their management practices affect the safety and quality of beef. That is an increase from 87% in 2010.*
• Spotlight: Bear Valley Ranch in Parkfield, Calif., employs the latest technology to ensure the safety of their cattle and quality of their beef, including using commercial drones to gather cattle and periodically check water systems on their operation. Learn more here.

What this means for your restaurant:

Learn more about the beef industry’s specific initiatives to produce better beef.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. market research shows that menu references to beef grade (Prime or Choice) imply quality to customers. Similarly, referencing beef as ‘100% USDA’ or ‘USDA-inspected’ can boost customer confidence.

Beef farmers and ranchers are committed to raising healthy animals, as it is the right thing to do for the animal, the consumer and the environment—and to bring value to their business:

• In 2017, 95% of beef farmers and ranchers said the well-being of their cattle is job No. 1 for them, an improvement from 90% in 2010.*
• Spotlight: The team at Easterday Ranches in Pasco, Wash., ensures cattle at the feedyard receive constant attention and care, from pen riders to veterinarians to animal nutritionists, to make sure the cattle are safe and healthy. Learn more here.

What this means for your restaurant:

• Learn more about the beef industry’s commitment to animal care.
• Consider sharing how the beef you buy was raised on the menu. Every supply chain, including a conventional one, has a story, and any information you can provide will help. Consider impactful terms like ‘grain-finished’ or ‘grass-finished,’ breed names, regions of the country, references to family farms and rancher stories, ‘BQA-certified’ and more.*

Ranching families have led conservation efforts across the U.S. for generations, and are dedicated to caring for the resources entrusted to them. They know firsthand that good management demands they care for the environment—for their own welfare as well as for future generations:

• 86% of cattle farmers and ranchers say they manage their operation to protect the quality of natural resources including wildlife and biodiversity.*
• Spotlight: Barthle Brothers Ranch in Dade City, Fla., operates with the motto “do no harm,” and prioritizes the sustainability of their land, earning them the 2001 NCBA Environmental Stewardship Award. Learn more here.

What this means for your restaurant:

• Learn more about the beef industry’s commitment to the environment.
• Consider arming your team with the facts on how beef is raised. Beef University is one tool that you can use to train and equip your team with the information they need to share beef’s compelling sustainability story with your curious customers.

We define stronger communities as the contributions beef farmers and ranchers make to the areas in which they work and live. This includes focusing on family and future generations, training and educating, giving back with donations of time and resources, maintaining a healthy workforce and contributing to the economy. While they may all have different backgrounds, members of the beef community share the same values:

• 78% of beef farmers and ranchers intend to pass their operation on to future generations and 58% of operations have been in the family for three generations or more.*

What this means for your restaurant:

• Learn more about the beef industry’s commitment to U.S. communities.
• Each beef producer has a unique story. If you are familiar with your suppliers’ stories, consider including them on the menu. If you’re looking to learn more, contact Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.

Sharing beef’s ‘behind the scenes’ story with your customers is one meaningful approach to beef marketing, and Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. has already gone behind the scenes for you.

We captured powerful images, video and insightful interviews with beef farmers and ranchers from across the U.S. to bring the farm to you and to your customers. The Rethink the Ranch campaign, and the full CSR report, are available on the new BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com. 

We have the assets, training and educational resources you and your staff need to best market the beef you sell in your restaurant—visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com today. The website’s gray footer contains supply chain-specific information just for you.

*Sources (Data points in order of appearance)

1.Fresh Meat Market Basket Analysis, Information Resources, Inc. June 2014

2.Center of the Plate: Beef and Pork Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2015

3.CSR Executive Summary: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8321151-ncba-beef-checkoff-cattle-industry-report/

4.Millennial Panel – Quality in Foodservice, yPulse, February 2016

5.CSR Executive Summary: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8321151-ncba-beef-checkoff-cattle-industry-report/

6.Millennial Panel – Quality in Foodservice, yPulse, February 2016

7.CSR Executive Summary: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8321151-ncba-beef-checkoff-cattle-industry-report/

8.CSR Executive Summary: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8321151-ncba-beef-checkoff-cattle-industry-report/