Merchandising ideas, videos and brochures can help entice consumers to put beef on their menu.

Shoppers who walk up to a supermarket meat case looking to prepare a hearty dinner may be overwhelmed by the sea of red meat for sale. Without a little guidance, they may not know what meat to buy or how to prepare it.

The National Cattleman’s Beef Association is aware of those problems and is ready to help. The Beef Checkoff Retail Marketing site, www.beefretail.org, features a host of Checkoff-funded materials and videos that the beef industry can use, whether it is retailers educating their shoppers or beef packers and processors helping their foodservice clientele.

For example, the NCBA has seen that more consumers are looking to be their own butcher at home, says Shelley Bradway, marketing manager.

“We worked on a Checkoff-funded program called ‘Slice ‘n Save,’ and this is geared toward helping consumers gain the knowledge they need to purchase beef subprimals, so they can take advantage of the lower price per pound,” she says.

An on-pack label describes both the cutting methods and cooking of the cuts. The NCBA also produced a series of videos showing the subprimals being cut, as well as lessons on knife handling and sharpening and storage of the cuts. Those videos can be posted on a retailer’s website and shared with customers.

“Even if [consumers] were nervous after reading the brochures and labels, they can go watch these videos online, and it will walk them through, step by step, on how to cut the subprimal,” Bradway says.

Beefretail.org also includes NCBA’s consumer research, point-of-sale materials, sales data, recipes and more.