Transparency: Cargill Rolls Out Ground Beef Information Initiatives

4 Feb 2014 --- As the world’s largest producer of ground beef, Cargill wants consumers to have access to more information about this American food staple. Consumer research conducted over the past year led to an initiative that includes an array of informational tools ranging from enhanced labeling on ground beef products in the meat case, to more fact-based material online, as well as a pre-printed, on-pack, quick response (QR) code for mobile devices.

“Based on dialogue we had with consumers and retailers, Cargill designed these ground beef communications initiatives to provide information that enhances consumer awareness about ground beef products regarding how they are made and used,” said John Keating, president of Cargill’s Wichita-based beef business.

Cargill’s ground beef information initiative includes:
• CargillGroundBeef.com, a one-stop website for consumers seeking information about ground beef. CargillGroundBeef.com website. Cargill created this go-to, one-stop, website for consumers seeking information about ground beef. The site contains a wealth of information, including a recipe database and educational resources.
• Our Certified ground beef brand. Cargill has refreshed this ground beef brand with a new logo and design elements. Effective Jan. 20, 2014, in the United States, Our Certified™ brand will include a quick response (QR) code on the front of packaging that enables consumers to instantly access the CargillGroundBeef.com website. Consumers will be able to trace the ground beef they buy back to Cargill processing facility where it was produced. The packaging will also provide clearer labeling of the ground beef as being “gluten free,” while also clearly identifying 93-percent lean ground beef products as “Lean Ground Beef.”
• Finely Textured Beef. Effective Jan. 20, 2014, all Cargill branded, U.S. produced, fresh, 100% ground beef products containing Finely Textured Beef – both consumer and bulk, including Our Certified™ brand products – began rolling out to the marketplace carrying the declaration “Contains Finely Textured Beef” on the product box end labels. Additionally, Cargill’s Our Certified™ brand ground beef chubs will include the printed declaration on retail packaging. Cargill developed a dedicated website for its Finely Textured Beef – GroundBeefAnswers.com. The site contains a wealth of detailed information and videos about Finely Textured Beef.

Keating added, “More than ever, consumers are interested in how the food they eat is produced, and we are committed to providing industry leadership with a greater level of transparency. We are supplying consumers with information that should give them complete confidence in the quality, nutrition, flavor and affordability of the ground beef they feed their families. That’s important to them, which makes it important to us, and it is what the category leader needs to be doing.”

Additional materials are under development for rollout in the months leading up to the 2014 hamburger-grilling season that traditionally begins with the Memorial Day holiday weekend in May. For more information on detailed rollout plans as well as pictures of our products please visit www.CargillGroundBeef.com.