Red Meat Matters For A Mighty Mind
AUSTRALIA - Forget energy drinks or unhealthy sugar fixes — Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) latest nutrition campaign aims to have consumers reaching for red meat to prevent tired brains and low energy and concentration levels.
19 February 2010
2 minute read
The next phase of the ‘Red meat. Amazing food.’ campaign follows on from the initial campaign launched in July 2009. It links the benefit of the five critical nutrients found in red meat (iron, zinc, vitamin B12, omega-3 and the amino acids in protein) with everyday brain function and highlights the adverse effects of low iron levels on mental performance for daily function.
MLA’s marketing manager — nutrition, Veronique Droulez, said consumers don’t seem to know that lifestyle choices, including eating nutrient-rich foods such as red meat, can affect their everyday brain performance.
“This latest phase of the campaign will increase consumers’ awareness that a lack of nutrients – particularly iron – could be the reason for their poor brain function.” Ms Droulez said.
“MLA-commissioned research suggests that unfortunately when people are tired, they are less likely to reach for healthy, nutrient-rich options to increase their concentration levels. Our aim is to get consumers to consider the importance of their nutrition in feeding their brain to perform at their best every day.
“It’s important to continually reinforce red meat’s nutritional benefits. This is particularly important when we’ve got red meat competing with a range of other protein sources for plate space at the dinner table,” Ms Droulez said.
The first phase of MLA’s ‘Red Meat. Amazing Food.’ campaign communicated to consumers the link between red meat’s nutrients and brain function. Consumer research conducted immediately following the campaign found that more than 85 per cent of mums with kids strongly agreed that the nutrients in red meat help the brain work properly.
The latest campaign commenced on 14 February and runs until 14 March 2010. It includes two 30-second television commercials, again featuring well known actor Sam Neill. These are accompanied by online banner ads and radio advertisements which position red meat’s brainpower nutrients as solutions to everyday complaints such as grumpiness, forgetfulness and poor concentration.
Point-of-sale material has been distributed to butcher shops nationwide and includes recipes for amazing meals including ‘on the ball meatballs’ and ‘memory stick kebabs’.
The television advertisements, recipes and six new radio advertisements have been produced for Breakfast and Drive time radio stations in capital cities. These can be viewed and heard online: http://www.mla.com.au/redmeatamazingfood
TheCattleSite News Desk
