BIG holds annual meeting at the FAPC
By Mandy Gross
FAPC Communications Services Manager
5-12-2008
STILLWATER, Okla. – Most people would say Anaheim, Calif., home of Disney Land’s Mickey Mouse, is a more popular destination than Stillwater, Okla., home of Oklahoma State University’s Pistol Pete. However, the Beef Innovations Group chose Pistol Peter over Mickey Mouse.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beef Innovations Group, or BIG, decided to holds its annual meeting at the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center on the OSU–Stillwater campus.
Ellen Gibson, executive director of new products initiatives for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said BIG was grateful to hold its annual meeting at the FAPC and will continue to deepen its relationship with the center.
“We have received support from the FAPC—it’s a fabulous place,” Gibson said. “It’s good to have the meeting close to academics; it’s a good place to be and work.”
According to BIG’s Web site, the mission of BIG is to inspire beef and veal product innovation and facilitate success by bringing information, insight, ideas, science and tools to industry influencers and stakeholders.
“The Beef Innovations Group is a team of experts who collaborate and conduct activities that provide the industry with product ideas and tools to make their new beef products successful,” according to the Web site. “Members of the team represent more than 200 years of combined new products experience, including meat and food scientists, operations experts, marketers, chefs and culinary professionals who have worked in the meat packing, processing, packaged goods, foodservice and retail industries.”
BIG, funded by the Beef Checkoff, meets once a year to ensure the group is meeting its strategic goals and make plans for the upcoming fiscal year, Gibson said. The meeting also is a chance for the technical team to update the marketing group and vice versa.
Jake Nelson, FAPC value-added meat processing specialist, said the FAPC was honored to host the BIG annual meeting and would welcome the return of the group.
“The Beef Innovations Group has a similar mission to the FAPC in that we both strive to improve and enhance the opportunities associated with food processing and marketing,” Nelson said. “Beef production is a significant industry in Oklahoma, and now beef product research, development and marketing are becoming significant activities in Oklahoma as folks like the Beef Innovations Group utilize the excellent FAPC facilities and become more aware of the beef processing sector located in the state.”
The meeting consisted of several speakers from OSU and Oklahoma food industry leaders, including David Albright and Nancy Jose-Cecil, National Steak and Poultry; Scott Sherrill, OSU Institute of Technology–Okmulgee; Christina DeWitt, FAPC; Glenn Freedman, OSU Innovation Center; and John Williams and Ken Bradford, Chef’s Requested Foods.
During Sherrill’s presentation, he discussed the Oklahoma Culinary Research Alliance, collaboration between the FAPC and OSU Institute of Technology–Okmulgee to advance value-added products from processing to presentation, and the work OKCRA has completed to add value to the beef chuck.
BIG is dedicated to increasing the value of the beef chuck and stimulating the development and launch of new, innovative products using the chuck, Gibson said.
“We are glad to see another group of people taking the lead on the chuck roll,” Gibson said. “The work validated the value of the chuck roll and the versatility of it.”
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