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Beef checkoff pushes back against ‘fake meat’

Cattlemen’s Beef Board CEO Greg Hanes

The media “buzz” over plant-based meat substitutes seems to be subsiding.  But those products are probably not going away, says Greg Hanes, CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

“We do need to be very aggressive and active on this because I don’t think it’s something that’s going away,” Hanes says. “We do have to be countering all of these misperceptions about the animal welfare and the nutrition and the environment.”

Hanes says the beef checkoff, by law, is not allowed to disparage other products. But he says they can compare beef with the alternatives.

“What we’re doing now is we’re pointing out the ingredients list on some of these fake meat products. You look at them and it’s a long list with up to 22 different ingredients.  And here’s the ingredient list for beef—Beef.  You’ve got one ingredient.”

Hanes says, when it comes to taste and nutrition, “you can’t beat beef”.

“I always find it interesting that these products are trying to mimic beef—because obviously they know that we’re the gold standard,” he says.

Hanes says they’ve been pleased with the response to the beef checkoff’s “Nicely Done, Beef” campaign, which emphasizes the positive attributes of beef.

AUDIO: Greg Hanes

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