NCBA Highlights Beef and Produce Pairings on Healthy Plates with #UnitedOnThePlate Partnership

November 5, 2020

Sirloin Steak and Tomato Salad

Beef Checkoff partners with Produce for Better Health Foundation to showcase how pairing beef with vegetables and fruits boosts flavor and health.

In an effort to continue to highlight beef’s place on the plate, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has partnered with the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) to celebrate how beef, vegetables and fruits are #UnitedOnThePlate. The #UnitedOnThePlate campaign focuses on rallying food and health experts on social media and educating consumers about how delicious, nutrient-rich beef brings more to the plate, when paired with fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

To reach as many consumers as possible and highlight beef in new ways, the partnership will leverage the PBH digital and social media channels, which reach more than 1 million consumers as well as its Fruit & Vegetable Ambassadors In Action influencer network. This network is comprised of food, culinary, nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle influencers with sizeable followings. 

The #UnitedOnThePlate activations include:

September:

  • National Fruits & Veggies Month: Better Together
    • September kicked off the partnership with content reinforcing the nutrition and flavor benefits of uniting beef and produce on the plate – the perfect duo for healthier, happier lives. National Fruits & Veggies Month, when fruits and veggies are being celebrated nationwide, presents a great opportunity to spotlight how pairing produce with other nutrient-rich foods, like beef, can contribute to a healthy lifestyle

October:

  • #UnitedOnThePlate in My State
    • Fruit & Vegetable Ambassadors In Action members from Missouri and Texas will create and share recipes featuring unique regional produce that complements beef and highlighting how beef and produce are raised and harvested by farmers and ranchers in their home states.
    • A blog post from PBH’s President and CEO, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, titled “The Ultimate Trifecta: Fruits, Vegetables + Beef. United On The Plate,” highlights how beef and produce are perfect partners for health and well-being.

November:

  • Beef + Produce Pairings
    • A dedicated content series featuring beef and produce pairings – tips, recipes and meal planning ideas will be on fruitsandveggies.org.
    • Additionally, Fruit & Vegetable Ambassadors In Action members will share their shopping baskets and pantries featuring beef and produce, encouraging their followers to do the same.

  • Beef in the Early Years
    • Rounding out beef nutrition education, two Fruit & Vegetable Ambassadors In Action members will lead two Cook-and-Chat Live posts from PBH’s channels, focusing on how beef and produce pair together as the perfect foods for growing toddlers and children. 

“PBH is a unique nutrition partner for NCBA, to extend its efforts to demonstrate beef’s foundational role in health,” said Shalene McNeill, Ph.D., RD, executive director, nutrition science, health & wellness, at NCBA. “And, at a time when “plant-based” diets are gaining attention, PBH is dedicated to partnering with groups such as NCBA and creating content that reminds consumers – and the influencers who reach them – about the importance of building balanced, healthy plates featuring fruits, vegetables and beef, along with other nutrient-rich foods.”

“It's clear: beef and produce truly enhance each other – and that’s why I’m so excited about our partnership that will celebrate how we’re #UnitedOnThePlate!” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN and president and CEO of PBH.  “Over the next several weeks, the partnership will highlight delicious recipes, perfect pairing ideas and new and unique meal hacks (not just salads my friends!), reinforcing how beef and produce add more nutrition and taste to the plate, with unique flavor explosions.”

Educating consumers about the nutritional benefits of beef continues to be a top priority for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beef Checkoff-funded programming To learn more about beef’s role in a healthy diet and find hundreds of great tasting healthy recipes, visit beefitswhatsfordinner.com

About the Beef Checkoff
The Beef Checkoff Program was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. States may retain up to 50 cents on the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.

About NCBA, a Contractor to the Beef Checkoff
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is a contractor to the Beef Checkoff Program. The Beef Checkoff Program is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.