Eggland's Best reveals 'Chief Egg Officer'

Eggland’s Best searched from the mountains to the prairies for their next Chief Egg Officer (“CEO”), only to discover the winning candidate was located right in their backyard! New Jersey resident Kim Van Dunk has officially been named the Grand Prize winner of the Eggland’s Best “Chief Egg Officer Search” Contest earning her the honorary “CEO” title. Along with her new title, Van Dunk has been awarded $5,000 and a one-year supply of Eggland’s Best eggs.
“I am so grateful to Eggland’s Best for selecting me as their new ‘CEO.’ As a long-time loyal customer I know that Eggland’s Best eggs are simply superior in nutrition, freshness and taste, and I am absolutely thrilled to be in a position to spread that news,” says Kim Van Dunk. “I hope that more and more people will take a look at Eggland’s Best eggs and see them for the nutritional powerhouses they are. They will take any dish from ordinary to extraordinary!”
For this year’s “CEO” contest, entrants were asked to demonstrate their passion for Eggland’s Best eggs by answering a variety of questions including why they deserve to be the next “CEO” and what they love about the brand. The company then narrowed the entrants down to three egg-straordinary candidates: Mary Everette of Ohio, Jenny Stein of Texas and Kim Van Dunk of New Jersey. Eggland’s Best then turned to fans to help in the judging process by asking them to vote which of the three finalists they would name “CEO.”
“The title of Chief Egg Officer holds great importance to us at Eggland’s Best as the individual receiving the title will become a member of the Eggland’s Best family,” says Charlie Lanktree, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eggland’s Best. “As we welcome Kim Van Dunk to the Eggland’s Best team, we want to extend our gratitude towards her predecessor, Karen Petersen of Huntsville, Alabama. Karen has shared her passion for EB eggs and we will continue to view her as a valued member of our family.”
The two runners-up of this year’s “CEO” contest will each receive a $500 cash prize and six month supply of Eggland’s Best eggs. In addition to her $5,000 cash prize and year supply of Eggland’s Best eggs, Van Dunk will be receiving a nutrition consultation from Registered Dietitians Tammy Lakatos Shames and Lyssie Lakatos, also known as The Nutrition Twins.
“As a mom and true fan of Eggland’s Best, I cannot wait to share nutritious recipe ideas, using Eggland’s Best eggs, that Kim and her family can enjoy around the kitchen table,” says Shames. “Eggs are such a versatile ingredient and what I love about EB eggs is, compared to ordinary eggs, they are higher in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D and vitamin E, making it easier to provide my family the nutrients they need for optimal health.”

CAST video educates about animal agriculture

Consumers have increasing questions about animal agriculture and whether it's good or bad. Many are concerned that animal agriculture takes away human food supplies and wastes resources.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) wants to help answer those questions and help consumers learn about the role animals can have in a healthy diet, as well as maximizing resources that could otherwise be unusable. CAST has released a new video based on its issue paper Animal Feed vs. Human Food: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustaining Animal Agriculture Toward 2050. Scientific experts address the knowledge gap that exists as to the quantity of human food and fiber by-products used within animal agriculture.
As Task Force Author Dr. Larry Berger (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) says, "During the last century, many consumers lost touch with food production; they need facts to make wise choices."
The video provides information that will inform the general public, be useful for students researching animal agriculture, and be of value for organizations looking at the impact of using animals as a food source.
The video and text of the Animal Feed vs. Human Food: Challenges and Opportunities in Sustaining Animal Agriculture Toward 2050 and its companion Ag quickCAST are available free of charge on the CAST website at www.cast-science.org.

In the US poultry industry, transparency equals trust

To help ensure that a poultry business is successful, all employers and distributors must be on the same team and be guided by the same values. Joe Forsthoffer, Perdue Farms corporate communications manager, says that the consumers also need to be considered part of that team.
However, in order to make them feel like part of the team, the US poultry industry must be more transparent, Forsthoffer said during the National Chicken Council Chicken Marketing Seminar on July 22.
"Consumers trust farmers. They love farmers, but they don't necessarily trust farming. They have a sense that modern agriculture doesn't quite qualify as farming anymore. If we're in the food business, and our consumers aren't trusting farming, they're never going to trust our products," said Forsthoffer. "Transparency equals trust. Somewhere along the line we literally shut the barn door, threw away the key and decided consumers don't really need to know where their food comes from."
However, the poultry industry and other sectors of agriculture producing a safe, healthy food supply. Most are doing so in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly manner while treating the animals with respect, and taking care of their employees and the communities they are located in.
If the consumers get that message, they will be much more likely to be on the same team, Forsthoffer said.
Doing so is especially important in today's era when information can spread instantly, Frosthoffer said. The poultry industry needs to not only act responsibly, but work hard to convey that message. Otherwise, others may spread a different message.
"Anyone with internet access has a printing press and a broadcasting network," he said.
With fewer people connected to farms, many people's images of agriculture are the ones produced by the industry's adversaries. Being transparent gives poultry producers an avenue to counter the criticism and have consumers on their side.
"You should have a team that includes your consumers, rather than to have to go back and say we really are good people," said Forsthoffer. "The partnership the whole food network has with the American farmer is unparalleled in the world. We need to start telling that story, be proud of who we are, be proud of what we do, and be proud of the way that we do it."

Illinois farmers make plans for image campaign

Illinois farmers have formed a coalition to educate consumers about the people behind the food they eat.
"Illinois Farmers," a group comprised of members of the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB), Illinois Pork Producers Association, Illinois Corn Marketing Board, Illinois Beef Association and Illinois Soybean Association (ISA), was created after recent research showed that the average consumer does not trust farming practices and believes that "corporate farms" control the majority of the agriculture industry. In reality, according to United States Department of Agriculture data, family farms represent 94% of all Illinois farms.
"The American family farm should be the most trusted food-producing enterprise in the world," said Ron Moore, ISA chairman. "But our customers think the family farm is passing from the scene. Nothing could be further from the truth." When given the actual statistics, 71% of consumers polled said they felt more positive about farming.
Illinois Farmers plans to use the research to come up with ways to redefine the image of "farmer." "We who farm need to change the way we relate to consumers," said IFB President Philip Nelson. "We must listen to their concerns even more than in the past and open the gates and doors of our farms to rebuild trust in the way we really farm today."