News from AEB — April 5, 2004

Beth Schnell, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Sparboe Farms, Wayzata, MN, was elected Chairman of the American Egg Board at the Board's meeting on March 25 in Rosemont, Illinois. Other officers elected were:

The Wall Street Journal Recognizes the Benefits of Eggs

In the March 2nd, 2004 edition of The Wall Street Journal, one of America's most highly respected daily newspapers, an article presented the role of nutrition and eggs in promoting good eye health. With this fantastic feature article, nearly 5 million Americans have been introduced to the positive nutritional role eggs add in the prevention of age-related macular degeneration.

This information about the benefits of eggs resulted from the efforts of AEB and the Egg Nutrition Center, which challenged journalists to experience AMD for themselves. A pair of glasses were sent to simulate the visual impairment of AMD. The glasses made the entire range of sight blurry, particularly in the center of the field of vision, to emphasize the circular area of blindness.

Over 13 million Americans suffer from the irreversible affects of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of acquired blindness in the United States. A progressive and painless condition, AMD affects the macula by breaking down the small, central part of the retina which allows you to see fine detail clearly. Both the severity and irreversibility of this disease has prompted growing research in nutrition as a means of eye disease prevention. Studies show that
lutein-rich diets can help significantly reduce the risk, or slow the progression, of cataracts and AMD.

Research shows that a diet rich in lutein and zeaxanthin may significantly reduce the risk, or slow the progression of, AMD, cataracts, and other eye diseases. Some observational studies have shown that generous intake of these carotenoids reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration up to 40 percent.

New Foodservice Egg Safety Ad to Debut

In the Foodservice Egg Safety program, print advertising is utilized as an effective communication medium. A new Foodservice egg safety ad is scheduled for introduction in May. It will feature the headline "Your Helping Hand in Food Safety for 25 Years. Think Safe. Think Eggs.," with a large photo of the egg-in-hand logo. Stressing the importance of proper egg handling in Foodservice operations, the
ad will discuss printed materials that are available for training programs. Foodservice operators responding to the new print advertisement will be sent a complete packet of information.

This ad is scheduled to appear in five national Foodservice publications including: Restaurants & Institutions, Restaurant Hospitality, Restaurant Business, Food Management, and FoodService Director. Throughout 2004, the print ad will be appearing a total of 14 times, providing close to 4 million gross impressions to the target audience.

AEB's brand new Egg Marketing Portfolio details everything you always wanted to know about eggs. Designed to help build egg sales and profits, "Think Fast. Think Eggs. Think Profits." is the ultimate "ready reference" for category managers and egg buyers. AEB has condensed its considerable amount of research findings into this tool kit filled with information on egg merchandising, shelf management, category facts, and other topics. The facts and information included in the 20-page booklet draw upon proven in-store approaches. Among the topics covered are egg industry facts, the egg consumer, effective promotions, managing the egg case, and egg nutrition. The piece provides information on how to "Get By With a Little Help" from AEB and details the "Best Practices for Retailers."

The booklet fits neatly into one side of the folder, leaving the other side open for personalized information, including a slot for a business card. Request your free copies today. Contact Mary Ruth Bolda at AEB.

As more Americans try low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets, eggs are increasingly viewed as the low-calorie, carb-free food of choice. AEB has taken this opportunity to capitalize on the media interest surrounding this new diet phenomena by providing key egg-related nutrition messages to journalists with information not only about the high quality protein of eggs, but also with new scientific materials addressing the health benefits of choline, lutein, and zeaxanthin. Here is a sampling of our current media placements from these efforts.

Woman's World featured a cover story entitled, "Hot, New Underground Low-Carb Diet! Try Ivana Trump's surprising (cheap) weight-loss trick." This article offers personal accounts from Ivana Trump, who religiously eats eggs to stay slim, and pop star Kristen Weitz, who attributes her recent weight loss to the incorporation of eggs in her diet. Additionally, Donald McNamara, Ph.D., was quoted extensively throughout the article, detailing the beneficial role eggs have for individuals who are dieting. Another great feature in Ladies' Home Journal describes eggs as a "brain booster, eye enhancer and heart helper!"

In addition, one of AEB's egg ambassador's, Claudia Gonzalez, MS. RD., authored an article entitled, "Un Huevo Al Dia, Siete A La Semana," translated into English as "An Egg a Day, Seven Days a Week." This article was written for a Spanish-language Web site entitled Salud & Nutricion, or Health and Nutrition. As an American Dietetic Association Spokesperson, Claudia is incredibly influential in penetrating the Spanish-speaking population and introducing current research and nutrition benefits of foods like eggs to this population.

The Safe Quality Food (SQF) program was presented in London at the Spring Meeting of the International Egg Commission (IEC). SQF is a HACCP based food safety and quality management program that is managed through the SQF Institute, a division of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) in Washington, DC. Dr. Hilary Shallo Thesmar of the Egg Nutrition Center attended a training program for SQF in March and presented the program at the IEC meeting. Dr. Thesmar, along with Ken Klippen and Howard Magwire with UEP, are drafting a guidance document to help egg producers and processors implement a voluntary SQF program. This program will allow producers and processors to assure their customers that they have put management practices in place to produce safe quality eggs and egg products.

An International Technical Committee will be formed to review and revise the guidance document so that it is applicable to the international egg industry. The International Technical Committee will be composed of representatives from the U.S., Canada, U.K., the Netherlands, and Australia.

The goal of SQF is to have one comprehensive management program addressing food safety and food quality that will be accepted by multiple retail organizations. Over 4000 companies in 16 countries have certified SQF programs. For more information on the SQF program, visit www.sqfi.com, contact the Egg Nutrition Center at (202) 833-8850, or email hshallo@enc-online.org

The Board has always recognized the value of working closely with state egg organizations, which are in a unique position to reinforce AEB's national efforts at the local level. State groups tie in with AEB's TV and radio spots as well as its print ads. Recognizing that the Hispanic community puts its emphasis on freshness in cooking rather than speed, AEB recently produced a special Spanish language ad specifically for state use. The ad was revised to promote a "Think Fresh. Think Eggs." message. AEB also provides photography and logos to help organizations customize billboards and bus and airport signs - all which are cost effective at the local level. Howard Helmer, Don McNamara, and Hilary Thesmar enjoy working with the states to reach influential audiences and conduct TV, radio, and print interviews. In addition, states utilize AEB materials, from merchandising campaigns to promotional materials, keeping the cost of these items at a reasonable amount.

At the March meeting, the Board reaffirmed its support of these organizations by voting to increase State Support Funding by $353,000 for a total of $1 million. AEB is in the process of recalculating 2004 funding using the current formula of 70% people population/30% layer numbers, with a $4,000 base. Currently, there are 40 eligible states, all with their own priorities. Consequently, the State Support Funding Guidelines remain as flexible as possible to accommodate local needs. However, funding continues to be limited strictly to promotional activities. New allocation information will be sent out by April 15.

Foodservice operators are being encouraged to enter the Global Flavors Recipe Contest. The contest tagline is "What in the World Can You Do With Eggs?" Contest objectives include increasing the usage, menuing, and visibility of eggs and egg products.

Open to foodservice chefs and operators, eligible egg entrée recipes must contain the equivalent of at least one large egg per serving. Four global cuisine categories are being offered: European Union, Latin American/Nuevo Latino, Mediterranean, and Pacific Rim. These cuisine categories offer foodservice operators the chance to experiment with a variety of tastes, flavors, and ingredients to create award-winning egg recipes. There is also a culinary student division offering the same cuisine categories.

A direct mail campaign (with an egg-shaped mailer made to look like a world globe), Web site promotion, and foodservice magazine press announcements will publicize the contest to the foodservice industry. A separate mailing to about 50 culinary schools will announce the contest to this audience. Entry forms and sample press releases will also be made available to state egg organizations for local promotion of the contest.

Contest judges will select winners based on taste, visual appeal, ease of preparation, use of ingredients that define a global category, originality, customer value, and profit potential. Prizes in the Professional Division of the contest include one $2,000 Grand Prize; four First Prizes of $1,000 each; one prize per cuisine category; and four Second Prizes of $500 each, one prize per cuisine category. In the Student Division, there will be one $1,000 Grand Prize, one $500 First Prize, and one $300 Second Prize.

Deadline for contest entry is June 25. Winning recipes will be featured in upcoming advertising and promotional campaigns.

Craig Morris Named Head of USDA Poultry Programs

Craig Morris, Ph.D. has been appointed Deputy Administrator of Poultry Programs for the Agricultural Marketing Service of USDA. Dr. Morris replaces Howard Magwire who resigned in 2003.

Dr. Morris will be responsible for facilitating the strategic marketing of the products of the poultry and egg industries in both domestic and international markets. His duties will include oversight of the programs of the American Egg Board.

Dr. Morris has had broad experience in the food industry and in USDA. He holds a bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Iowa State University and a doctorate in Animal Science from Texas A&M University.

AEB will produce three new "Think Fast. Think Eggs." television ads. The new spots will feature recipes for a Spanish Omelet, a Ham and Vegetable Torta, and a One Skillet Meal. Similar to the original "Think Fast" TV spots, the ads will communicate that eggs are the perfect dinner solution for the busy mom. In addition, these new executions will continue to feature mouth-watering food visuals accompanied by lively music to demonstrate quick and easy egg recipe preparation.

These new additions to the "Think Fast" campaign come as a result of research conducted in January to determine the effectiveness of the current campaign. In order to determine the effectiveness of the original "Think Fast" campaign, AEB hired outside testing firm Ipsos-ASI, the industry's leading testing service, to conduct a quantitative study amongst consumers. The test involved asking consumers about their likeliness to serve eggs for dinner, exposing them to a TV show with commercials, including the AEB spot, and then reassessing the consumers' likeliness to serve eggs. Through this study, AEB learned that the "Think Fast" TV spots successfully communicated AEB's message that eggs are a perfect solution for a quick dinner. In addition, the test showed that the AEB TV spots were engaging and break-through. The ASI test also found that the spots resulted in an 11% increase in serving potential and a 9% increase in serving frequency.

Along with this positive feedback, Ipsos-ASI also made two recommendations on how to strengthen the current televisions spots: the first was to link the spots more closely to our "brand" - the Incredible Edible Egg and second to utilize a voiceover announcer to create additional sync and breakthrough of AEB's message. The new TV spots will utilize the same highly successful format as the current campaign but will now include a greater emphasis on the Incredible Edible Egg logo at the close of the spots along with a voiceover. Additionally, the new spots will involve fewer scenes to slow the speed of the ads but without losing the "Think Fast" message.

Finally, in order to take advantage of the continuing focus on low carb diets and build on AEB's previously successful protein efforts, AEB will also be producing an alternate version of one of the TV spots to communicate that eggs are great for consumers on or considering a low-carb diet.

American Egg Board gathered an expert panel of six leading nutrition experts to discuss the scientific evidence to determine whether the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 300mg/day cholesterol limit is justified. The panel was comprised of scientists from the leading health and medical institutions such as Harvard School of Public Health, Baylor College of Medicine and UCLA, with expertise in various areas including pediatric nutrition, epidemiology, public health, blood lipids and cholesterol metabolism. The panel also offered information and intelligence about how to separate dietary cholesterol from saturated fat and trans fatty acids--two cholesterol-raising fats--by shifting focus onto those studies showing that saturated fat is the real culprit when it comes to raising blood cholesterol levels. The panel also provided AEB/ENC insight into the types of cholesterol-related research that would make the most impact to challenge the cholesterol limit.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, serves as the basis for nutritional guidance for all healthy Americans age two and over. The Dietary Guidelines are revised every five years to reflect any changes in scientific thinking regarding core nutrition principles. With the overwhelming public health concern over the obesity epidemic, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines are expected to have a greater emphasis on naturally, nutrient dense foods and balancing caloric intake with physical activity.

AEB Celebrates 100 Years of Dr. Seuss' Nutrition Intuition

With the Centennial Celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday kicking off in March, an ideal opportunity presented itself to show the media that Dr. Seuss' old favorite recipe for children, Green Eggs, is getting new attention. AEB sent a news release to hundreds of newspapers across the country presenting the story idea that Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham recipe was as important half a century ago as it is today. The release contained comments from AEB egg ambassador Keith Ayoob, Ed.D., R.D., that stated, "while eggs aren't usually green, Seuss' egg breakfast is one of the best for children."

For the news release, AEB cooked up an eggstra special Green Eggs and Ham recipe, containing chopped spinach and cottage cheese. The news release contained the nutritional analysis of this meal to demonstrate that a Green Eggs and Ham breakfast provides children and their parents' long-lasting energy and key nutrients needed to start their day. Additionally, this release was very effective in grabbing the media attention surrounding low-carbohydrate diets to focus on eggs….a healthy low-fat, high protein option.

This news release was picked up by hundreds of print outlets nationwide and produced millions of audience impressions.

The low-carb trend is "hot." Millions of Americans are currently following some form of this diet. Depending on the research source, anywhere from 10 million to over 30 million people are currently adhering to one of the low-carbohydrate plans. Many food manufacturers are also hurriedly introducing products that will fit these diets. This trend is estimated to continue for as long as two years. The restaurant industry quickly adapted menu items and saw this as an opportunity to draw in new customers.

Eggs are a "natural" when it comes to low-carbohydrate menus. To take advantage of this trend, a new Foodservice print advertisement is currently under development and will debut in the early summer. The ad's headline will read "Low-Carb? Naturally," and will prominently feature a mouth-watering egg dish. It will be appearing in three national foodservice publications: Restaurant Business, Restaurants & Institutions, and Restaurant Hospitality, and will target the commercial restaurant operator.

The objective of this campaign is to build awareness of eggs' important role in low-carb menus. In this print ad, foodservice operators will be educated about eggs' nutritional contribution to this type of diet. Working in conjunction with the ad, a set of low-carbohydrate recipe cards will also be introduced. These cards will provide a number of recipe ideas that can be quickly and easily added to restaurant menus.

It's a standard joke that, if you want your VCR or computer set up, ask your kid to do it. In real life, that's not an inappropriate statement. Children today often exceed their elders in their knowledge of and aptitude for using modern technology. With the exception of those actually teaching in computer labs, many classroom educators are among the adults who lag behind the kids in their computer savvy. So, Board members just approved a new classroom education project which, while teaching about eggs, will ease 4th- through 6th-grade teachers into the world of CDs and the Web.

Titled, 'Eggs'press Yourself!, the program will have a newspaper theme. Student activities will be based on various parts of the Daily 'Eggs'press newspaper, such as hard news articles on egg subjects, egg nutrients reported in a manner similar to sports scores, a simple recipe in comic-strip format, word games and, of course, typical food pages. With the newspaper concept, the program will especially meet language arts curriculum requirements, but science and health subjects will be covered as well.

Development will begin immediately in order to distribute copies to teachers shortly after the start of the school year in September. In addition to further distributing the kits to schools, AEB expects that state groups will want to tie in with this effort through Web links and numerous other ways.

Eggs are in! As they were decades ago, eggs are again a respected food. Now, however, eggs have broken out of the breakfast mold and are considered an important part of eating occasions throughout the day. Over several years, AEB has been promoting the great versatility of eggs, a concept food editors have now embraced.

During the last four months, among the dishes in which eggs have been featured in women's/food magazines are: baked, fried, hard-cooked, poached, and scrambled eggs; deviled eggs and egg salad; French toast and waffles; frittatas and omelets; quiches and stratas; souffles and sauces; and a host of egg-dependent desserts, including bread pudding, cakes and cupcakes, cream puffs, custards, meringues, souffles, and tortes.

Eggs were featured for breakfast, dinner, snacks, and the sweet course, too. And, of course, decorated eggs appeared in March issues, while parent/family magazines featured fun foods for kids, including Dr. Seuss-inspired green eggs and ham. Latin and Asian recipes were also printed, as recommended by AEB's most recent press kit on "The Ethnic Egg.”

Egg mentions and features ranged from a single recipe to an 11-page, all-egg feature and appeared in almost all major womens and food magazines.

These features follow on the heels of an exceedingly successful year of magazine publicity for eggs. In 2003, there were 115 egg features in33 national consumer publications with a combined total circulation of almost 27 million. Space allotted these features would have cost the industry over $24 million had it been purchased.

Egg Products Foodservice Research

Recently FRI Research conducted a study to determine the size of the egg market in the foodservice industry. The study identified the volume of various egg products in several segments of the industry, such as chain and independent restaurants, schools and colleges, healthcare, business and industry locations, and motel/hotels. Total tonnage in the industry exceeds 1.1 billion pounds. This volume is comprised of shell eggs (80.5% of the volume), refrigerated liquid egg products (15%), frozen eggs (4%), and dried eggs (.5%).

Further information declared that 84% of the volume is used in commercial operations, chain and independent restaurants, quick service, and white tablecloth restaurants, while 16% of the volume is served in non-commercial operations such as schools, colleges, healthcare, and hotels. Menu incidence is extremely high in lower volume non-commercial units achieving 93.5%, while higher volume commercial establishments have a menu incidence of 67% for an industry average of 75%.

The study does confirm the American Egg Board's foodservice marketing focus on mid-scale chains and independents as well as quick service independents.

AEB Commits Funds to Promote U.S. Eggs and Egg Products Worldwide

In March, USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) organized an industry trade mission for U.S. further processors to visit Korea and Japan for the Food & Hotel Korea trade show and the Foodex trade show. The trade mission was to be a follow-up activity to last year's reverse trade mission. However, due to lack of industry participation and the temporary ban on U.S. egg products caused by the avian influenza outbreaks, the trade mission was cancelled. A total of four U.S. further processors sent product samples to Food & Hotel Korea. The products arrived just in time for the show, despite the temporary ban. Interest in U.S. egg products has grown significantly in Korea, and over 80 trade leads and contacts were made at the trade show. Seminars targeting the Korean bakery industry were scheduled to take place during the trade mission, but they will be rescheduled for August.

Outbreaks of avian influenza in the U.S. have negatively impacted the Japanese food industry. USAPEEC has been working closely with several organizations including the United Egg Association to get the current ban on U.S. egg products lifted. A great deal of progress has been made, and we are awaiting a response from the Japanese government. U.S. dried egg products have no problems entering Japan. USAPEEC is planning a seminar to target the bakery and confectionary industries in June, which will emphasize that U.S. egg products are a safe choice and do not carry avian influenza and salmonella. In spite of the high egg prices in the U.S., there are many advantages that the U.S. egg industry has overseas, in particular for egg products. Many countries including the EU are turning their attention to the U.S. due to the low value of the dollar.

USAPEEC also plans to conduct promotions in Russia, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and Mexico in the next few months.

New Low-Carb Egg Product Advertising

Staring in July, the American Egg Board will be advertising the role of egg products in low-carb product development. It is estimated that 44,000,000 Americans are "very/somewhat likely" to try a low-carb diet within the next two years. This dieting phenomenon has food manufacturers clamoring for new ideas to attract consumers in an attempt to revitalize the food industry. Specifically our goal is to increase product developers' understanding of egg products as a perfect ingredient in new low-carb food products. The two new ads will follow the format of the successful "Big Word" campaign focusing on the functionality of egg products.

In This Issue:

Beth Schnell Elected
American Egg Board Chairman

The Wall Street Journal Recognizes the Benefits of Eggs

New Foodservice Egg Safety Ad to Debut

New Retail Marketing Portfolio
Hot off the Press!

Good News About Eggs in the Media

IEC Involvement Requested with SQF Program

State Support Funding Increased For 2004

Foodservice Global Flavors Recipe Contest

Craig Morris Named Head of USDA Poultry Programs

New “Think Fast. Think Eggs.”
Commercials to Be Produced

Expert Panel Provides AEB/ENC Insight into Upcoming
2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

AEB Celebrates 100 Years of Dr. Seuss' Nutrition Intuition

Foodservice Low-Carb Print Ad Program

Bringing High Tech and Eggs to the Schools

Magazines Put Eggs in the Limelight

Egg Products Foodservice Research

AEB Commits Funds to Promote U.S. Eggs and Egg Products Worldwide

New Low-Carb Egg Product Advertising

In This Issue:

Beth Schnell Elected American Egg Board Chairman

New Retail Marketing Portfolio Hot off the Press!

Beth Schnell Elected
American Egg Board Chairman

New Retail Marketing Portfolio
Hot off the Press!