Meat Conference Highlight: New Consumer Data To Be Unveiled

A new study highlighting retail food shopping statistics, shopper nutrition concerns, meat consumption, meal preparation and purchasing behavior will be released during the upcoming Annual Meat Conference, March 9-11, 2008, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, Tenn.

During the special session “The Power of Meat: An In-Depth Look at Meat Through the Shopper’s Eyes,” Anne-Marie Roerink, director of research at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), will provide the latest information on what customers have to say about the meat case, product and promotion likes and dislikes and what keeps them coming back for more. These results will be presented in a format for immediate use in store operations. This session is sponsored by Cryovac—A Division of Sealed Air.

Co-sponsored by the American Meat Institute (AMI) and FMI, the conference attracts 700 members of the retail food and meat industries each year. It is considered the leading educational event focusing on meat and poultry marketing developments, merchandising issues and consumer purchasing trends.

Associate sponsors for the conference include the American Lamb Board, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council & U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, National Pork Board and the National Turkey Federation.

Advance registration for the conference is $595 per person or $545 for three or more members of the sponsoring associations. On-site registration is $695 per person or $645 for three or more members registering together or $515 when 10 or more retailers/wholesalers register together. Nonmember registration is $1,290 per person.

For program and registration information, visit http://www.MeatConference.com.
AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI's members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

FMI conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $680 billion, three-quarters of all retail food store sales in the United States. FMI's retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from more than 50 countries.