After a two-week delay caused by the BSE outbreak in the USA, an American beef lobby group yesterday (26 January) finally launched a national advertising campaign.


The US$3m in television adverts were originally scheduled to start running on 12 January, but the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association felt they would have appeared too soon after the holiday-season discovery of BSE in a cow in Washington state.


The “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner” campaign focuses on the meat’s appeal and nutritional value compared with chicken and does not mention beef safety. According to a poll conducted for the lobby, 89% of US consumers are confident beef is safe.