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Retail, QSR chains announce differing takes on LFTB
Story Date: 4/2/2012
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 3/30/12
Decisions this week by Iowa-based retailer Hy-vee and Dublin, Ohio-based QSR giant Wendy’s highlight the continuing conflict over the use and perceptions of lean finely textured beef.
Following Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s comments Wednesday in a news conference touting the benefits of LFTB, Hy-Vee confirmed it reversed a decision to rid its shelves of the product and resume sales. Meanwhile, on Friday Wendy’s entered the fray, trumpeting the fact the chain uses “nothing but pure, 100% North American beef, always fresh and never frozen.”
Hy-Vee, which runs 235 stores in eight Midwestern states, said the company changed its mind after hearing from consumers who asked the company to continue carrying the product.
“They’ve sent us a clear message: They want a choice when it comes to ground beef, and they want to support companies that provide thousands of jobs in our Midwest trade area,” the company said in a statement.
Public pushback to LFTB forced primary supplier Beef Products Inc. to shutter three of four of its processing plants, affecting some 650 jobs. Governors of major beef states this week jumped in to stick up for the company and its product.
Nonetheless, Wendy’s saw an opportunity to market the “quality” of the beef they use, joining others in using key terms that helped cause a public hysteria about a product its proponents are trying to explain also as 100 percent beef.
“We’re extremely proud of Wendy’s beef standards — 100% pure beef from North American raised cattle … no additives … no fillers … no preservatives … no flavor boosters,” Wendy’s CEO Emil Brolick said in a news release.
For more related news stories and videos, including one produced by BPI officials, visit the Meatingplace LFTB News Center.
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