The American Meat Institute (AMI) announced the launch of a new grass roots communications program aimed at increasing the industry’s communications with their customers and communities at the grass roots level.

The Communicators Advocating Meat and Poultry or CAMP programis designed to harness the energies of a growing number of individuals within the industry and the field of meat science who are committed to sharing the facts about the products that the industry produces and the measures they take to ensure they are safe, wholesome, nutritious and humane.

AMI will kick off the program at the American Meat Science Association’s (AMSA) Reciprocal Meat Conference.  AMI has partnered with AMSA for several years to crush myths through the Meat MythCrusher Programand now AMI is asking the meat science community to sign up to receive communications alerts and news about new resources that they can, in turn, share online through social media channels.  AMI also will recruit CAMP members from within its members and other scientific associations.

Also through CAMP, AMI is encouraging people to be proactive in offering to give talks to schools as part of career days or in connection with relevant lessons in science and agriculture.  Similarly, AMI is encouraging talks to civic and business groups.  CAMP members may participate in any form of communication they choose to, from Facebook to speaking in schools, and may do as much or as little as they like.

To help CAMP participants prepare to engage, AMI is offering a series of webinars and workshops covering the basics of social media, advanced social media, media training, talking to children and delivering talks in business settings.

Upcoming sessions are as follows (Insert dates and times):

• Social media 101 – June 26, 2 p.m. EST or July 1, 3 p.m. EST
• Social media 202 – June 27, 2 p.m. EST or July 2, 11 a.m. EST
• Mini Media training – July 21, 2 p.m. EST or August 26, 3 p.m. EST
• Full Media Training – January 2015 During IPPE, Date and Time TBD
• Blogging 101 – September 17, 2 p.m. EST
• Speaking to Kids School, Scout and other settings – August 27, 2 p.m. EST or September 4, 11 a.m. EST
• Speaking to the Community – September 10, 2 p.m. EST or October 2, 11 a.m. EST

To register for the webinars, email publicaffairs@meatami.com. 

Participants will earn Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum status for taking classes or for active engagement and will be recognized through colored ribbons attached to badges at AMI events.

“Researchers have documented that consumers’ willingness to extend general trust to others has declined in recent decades.  Rather, consumers today tend to extend “particularized trust” – the kind extend to those who they perceived to share their values, like the members of their church, school board, local community, political organization or civic group,” said AMI Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Member Services Janet Riley.  “These social changes make it more important than ever that members of the meat and poultry industry communicate facts about the industry and our products within our own circles, where people trust us and where we stand a better chance of being heard.”

To download more information about the free program or to sign up to participate, click here.

Source: AMI