Beefing Up Relationships with Healthcare Professionals

| December 21, 2022

Today, more than ever, consumers are bombarded with information about the abundance of choices for what to wear, what to buy and what to eat. Whether through social media, television, radio or streaming services, grocery shoppers are constantly looking for information to help them make the best decisions for their families. And when it comes to nutrition information, there is one group that is turned to the most.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) are the most frequently consulted health professionals for nutrition and healthy eating information, and 77% of global consumers declare that their advice impacts which foods they buy. 1,2 Healthcare professionals, like RDNs, are a critical audience that the Beef Checkoff reaches with beef’s positive nutrition message, arming them with science-based information they can share with their patients and clients.

As NCBA, a contractor of the Beef Checkoff, kicks off fiscal year 2023 nutrition programming, they continue to find value in health professional education and outreach as this critical audience plays a key role in consumer health and nutrition. NCBA builds relationships with healthcare professionals through engagement at conferences and events, and these relationships, and the information learned, help direct future content development.


In October 2022, the NCBA Nutrition Team partnered with Produce for Better Health to host a #BetterTogether reception during the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Orlando, Florida. The networking event attracted more than 80 health professional attendees who gathered to collaborate on ways to pair beef and produce to optimize health and nutrition. As a result, new connections with nutrition influencers and thought leaders developed.  

To continue the momentum gained at FNCE, the NCBA Nutrition Team hosted a three-day Nutrition Influencer “Meat-Up” in Denver to build relationships with 15 leading Registered Dietitian influencers and provide beef nutrition education sessions. Through a Beef Nutrition 101 presentation, a hands-on Culinary Education workshop, Social Media Masterclass and Beef Sustainably and Industry panel, attendees experienced multiple aspects of the beef industry and nutrition.  

 Attendees’ specialties ranged from pediatric nutrition and diabetes management to sports performance, and together they had a collective social media reach of more than 1.2 million. This well-connected, well-established, and influential group reaches consumers through media outlets such as Eat This, Not That!, CNBC, Yahoo! News, and MSN.  

“We were excited to see that this experience encouraged nutrition influencers to share their newfound knowledge with their audiences, and we are looking forward to deepening and expanding these relationships throughout 2023,” said Shalene McNeill, PhD, RDN, NCBA’s executive director of Nutrition Science, Health & Wellness.  

In addition to providing information about beef’s role in a healthy lifestyle to health professionals across the country, the Checkoff-funded Nutrition Seminar Program provides an opportunity to collaborate with state beef councils to place credentialed, expert speakers at statewide meetings for healthcare professionals. Currently, 22 credentialed experts are scheduled to speak at health professional education conferences in 2023. Many of these speakers were found through the #BetterTogether reception during FNCE.  

The start of a new year is the perfect time to elevate the nutritional value of beef. February recognizes National Heart Health Month, and March highlights National Nutrition Month and National RD Day (March 15), providing perfect opportunities for nutrition influencer collaborations, health professional partnerships, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. produced content, recipe promotions and the launch of a new beef nutrition experts and advocates virtual community. For Heart Health Month, NCBA is also exploring partnerships with four nutrition influencers, all of which attended the FNCE #BetterTogether reception or the “Meat-Up.”  

As the new year begins, NCBA is well positioned to continue providing science-based information and resources to health professionals, so they are ready to share beef’s positive health message with consumers across the country.          


1 International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s 2022 Food and Health Survey 
2 Eat Well Global, The Consumer Voice Report: Global Insights on Food, Trust, Nutrition and Influencer, November 2020