| American Lamb Retail Programs - Meatier Than Ever (April 1, 2007) Approximately 60 percent of American lamb is used in the retail sector. Lamb accounts for only 1 percent of average meat cases, and a national meat case study conducted by Cryovac in 2004 found that only 65 percent of the stores audited carry lamb. The American Lamb Board is working to raise awareness and educate retailers and consumers about the benefits of American lamb, including its ease of preparation, nutritional value, versatility, flavor and freshness. Partnering with retailers that are committed to American lamb to implement year-round promotions provides an opportunity to increase American lamb’s retail market share. The American Lamb Board recently kicked off retail promotions with Big Y Foods throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut and with Winn Dixie Supermarkets throughout Florida. Both retail partners use 100 percent American lamb in all of their stores. The retail promotions include point-of-sale materials, such as signage at the meat case, easy recipes, and advertising throughout the year to help even out the volatility of seasonal lamb sales. The advertising includes print advertising in local newspapers and billboards located near the stores. Both retail partners have committed to running American lamb specials at least one week of every month. In addition to the retail promotions, the American Lamb Board has developed a new retail communications program to educate retailers about American lamb. The program includes a quarterly newsletter, a retail Web site section, including downloadable images, and a retail toolkit. The toolkit includes a comprehensive retail guide and downloadable files that can be viewed online or printed out and shared with meat department employees. The guide includes information on lamb cuts, grading, merchandising lamb, lamb nutritional information and more. The downloadable files delve deeper into all things American lamb and can serve as a great training tool. Please visit the retail section at www.americanlamb.com for more information. |
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