This year, AEB is partneringwith Discovery Education as a wayto bring the Good Egg Project intoschools and target an olderaudience of students, parentsand teachers. Through webtraffic, promotional campaign,media outreach, social media,contest and farm tour, AEB willgenerate nearly 53 millionimpressions for Good EggProject through thispartnership. This 2012program will include two farm-to-table lesson plans forteachers to use in theclassroom, a Virtual Field trip

on the Hickman’s Family Farmsthat includes a post-trip activityand a microsite – EducationStation. Additionally, thepromotional campaign will includeonline banners, direct-to-teacheroutreach, social media outreachand media relations.

Over the years, DiscoveryEducation has brought real worldexperiences to life for studentsonline. AEB is excited to launch

Discovery Education’s first everfarm-to-table field trip on April 18by transporting kids to the

Hickman’s FamilyFarms in Arizona.Elementaryclassrooms andmedia will tunein, via a live feed,to the farm tohave directinteraction withSharman and

Clint Hickman. Existing Webisodefootage will enhance theexperience to showcase theproduction process, andclassrooms will have theopportunity to ask live questions tothe farmers – Sharman and Clint.A pre- and post-field trip activitywill also be available to teachers.The entire experience will bearchived onDiscoveryEducation.com.

In addition to our DiscoveryEducation program, AEB isworking with local NBC affiliates in

five markets (SanFrancisco, Dallas,Los Angeles,Chicago and NewYork) to continueeducating aboutthe farm-to-tableprocess throughthe Good EggProject. As part ofthe partnership,NBC will run a 60second (pre-recorded)interview with alocal farmer. The

integration will run for three weeksleading up to an egg donation thatwill be made by the farmer to afood bank.

March 2012 Editor: Ashley G. Richardson

Discovery Education partnership

• USDA appointments announced• UPDATE: Speakers’ Bureau• Incredible in the news for February, March & April• USAPEEC President honored• Breakfast & QSR Infograph• Facebook & Ingles• ENC hosts successful Webinar

At this month’s American EggBoard Meeting, a wide array ofpromotional programs waspresented. With a reduced 2012budget, the staff established evenmore innovative and effectivepromotional efforts.

I presented an update to theDemand Dashboard, which looks

at meaningful metrics for a better understanding of eggconsumption. Retail sales were strong in 2011 andshowed consistent growth over thelast few years as did the foodservicechannel. This variety ofmeasurements provides insight tothe marketplace and goes beyondUSDA’s Per Capita Consumption,sometimes called Per Capita“Production.” Consumer attitudedata was also presented, and I’mthrilled that consumers are lessconcerned with cholesterol thanever before. I feel this is due, in part,to Consumer Marketing and the EggNutrition Center’s effortsto promote the lowercholesterol/higher vitamin D news lastyear.

Dr. Ron Ward at theUniversity of Florida recently completed a five-yearindependent return-on-investment (ROI) study onAEB’s adverting. The ROI is an estimate of theincrease in revenues for egg producers for each dollarspent on advertising. The results showed a return of$8.11 for the last five years. This illustrates the powerof effective generic egg advertising. AEB’s ROI rankshigh when compared to other commodities; however, ifall AEB’s marketing efforts were examined, I amconfident egg producers’ ROI would be even higherreaching double digits.

The Egg Nutrition Center (ENC) requested 14 fullproposals from the 31 Letters of Intent received fromuniversity researchers. The 2012 Scientific AdvisoryPanel will review these proposals, and new researchgrants will be awarded in the fall. This helps keepENC’s research pipeline full of the latest egg nutritionnews to promote to health professionals. The newnews is also promoted to consumers through AEB’sConsumer Marketing Programs.

Consumer Marketing’s “Wake Up to Eggs”campaign focuses on driving weekday breakfasts byshowing consumers how quick and easy eggs can bewhile leveraging new news about eggs. Magazine ads,digital and online search will be a major part of the new

campaign reaching a larger consumer audience. Thenew campaign will reach more than 90 percent ofadults four more times than AEB did in 2011.

Foodservice’s National Accounts Program continuesto reach out to Quick-Service Restaurants driving eggpenetration of breakfast and innovation of menu items.The highly visible chains remain the target of AEB’sefforts. Subway served 32 million more egg servingsthan last year and remains a long-term partner of AEB.Dunkin’ Donuts had 5 million more egg servings thanlast year. Taco Bell rolled out “first meal” to 800 more

stores as a lead up to a national roll outplanned for within the next year.

Egg ProductMarketing continuesto see increasedtraffic to the foodmanufacturersection of AEB.orgindicating thematerials created forthis audience areresonating. Thisyear’s Egg Product

School,sponsored byAEB, will targetR&Dprofessionals forthe first time.

The 2011 Annual Report, an attractive review ofAEB’s marketing program, was presented to the Boardand was mailed to the entire industry. The StateSupport Program featured the new Good Egg ProjectTurnkey kit and materials for the state organizationsand highlighted the state groups’ promotional effortsshowing effective use of AEB state funds.

The Good Egg Project is partnering with DiscoveryEducation in 2012 and includes an education hubmicrosite with lesson plans. AEB is also offering avirtual field trip for classrooms nationwide, which isexpected to reach an audience of 10,000. TheSpeakers’ Bureau program was given a thoroughreview and as a result, AEB staff will now coordinateportions of the program resulting in a 50% savings perscheduled talk. To train additional farmers, AEBcoordinated a Speakers’ Workshop at the conclusion ofthe Board Meeting.

As one meeting attendee noted, “AEB has a lotgoing on.” I’m pleased to see our efforts becomingmore and more integrated in support of AEB’s StrategicPlan to drive sales of eggs and egg products. Pleasecontinue to share your feedback with me. We needyour comments and suggestions to best maximize yourinvestment.

President’s Message

At this month’s BoardMeeting, updates to theSpeakers’ Bureau werepresented. The entire programunderwent review starting latein 2011 and focused on whichpartner has the most potentialto help AEB growth thisprogram.

AEB recommended stayingwith the Center for FoodIntegrity (CFI). The cost perscheduled speech is now $280,down from $545 due toeliminating media outreach.

Internally, AEB will also nowoversee the evaluation andrecording keeping process in-house and then share this infoback with CFI to save onprofessional services billing.

If a speaker is approacheddirectly, he or she can handlethe request and detailsindependently or contactAshley Richardson,224.563.3715 orarichardson@aeb.org, for anyscheduling support. If aspeaker reaches out to CFI,AEB will be charged $280 perspeech and the speaker shouldcount the speech toward his orher total for the year.

In 2012, each trainedspeaker is expected to givethree speeches, and budget isavailable for CFI to schedule allthree speeches. New speakerswill be placed four times byCFI.

The training following theBoard Meeting was verysuccessful. The next training isscheduled for July 12 - 13starting at 1:30 p.m. on thatThursday following the BoardMeeting and finishing by 12:30p.m. on Friday. If you areinterested in attending, pleaselet Ashley know.

American Institute of Baking (AIB) isoffering Baking Industry 101 seminar for thosecompanies that supply or interact withcommercial bakers to learn what bakersexpect from suppliers, variables that impactproduct quality and language used in thebaking profession. Baking Industry 101 isscheduled for June 5-6, 2012 in Chicago.

For more information or to register for theevent, visit https://secure.aibonline.org/php/ecomm-catalog.php?catalogNbr=04-8130&site=. If you’re interested in a customized workshop for your eggproduct sales team to learn more about the commercial baking industry,contact Steve Sollner, Baking Instructor, AIB, ssollner@aibonline.org or785.537.1493 x135.

Speakers’ BureauUSDA appointments announced

Baking Industry 101 seminar

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed nine members and ninealternates to the American Egg Board for the 2012-2013 term. Allmembers and alternates will serve 2-year terms.

The board administers the American EggBoard, authorized by the Egg Research andConsumer Information Act of 1974. Terms onthe board are staggered so that half of themembership is appointed each year in order toprovide continuity in policy.

The board is composed of 18 members and18 alternates representing six regions. TheSecretary of Agriculture selects appointees

from egg producers nominated by organizations representing the eggindustry. Reappointed members and alternates, by region, are:

North Atlantic – Paul D. Sauder, Lititz, PA, member; Karyn M.Kreher, Clarence, NY, alternate.

South Atlantic – K. Jacques Klempf, Jacksonville, FL, member;Larry R. Thomason, Calhoun, GA, member; Richard L. Simpson,Monroe, NC, alternate.

East North Central – Gregory S. Herbruck, Saranac, MI, member;Thomas A. Stoller, Van Wert, OH, alternate.

West North Central – Scott T. Ramsdell, Flandreau, SD, member;Amos Baer, Lake Park, MN, alternate.

South Central – Brian V. Joyer, New Hampton, IA, member; RichardR. Hall, Massena, IA, alternate; Gregory B. Nelson, Manhattan, KA,alternate.

Western states – Clint L. Hickman, Buckeye, AZ, member; Roger D.Deffner, Everett, WA, member; Craig A Willardson, Norco, CA, alternate;Mark G. Oldenkamp, Woodburn, OR, alternate.

Newly appointed members and alternates, by region, are:South Atlantic – C. Jeff Hardin, Jackson, MS, alternate.South Central – Diane M. Sparish, Minnetonka, MN, member.

The Secretary also named S. Scott Horton, Gillsville, GA, alternate,to fill a vacancy in the South Atlantic states. This appointment willcomplete a vacant board member term expiring on Dec. 31, 2012.

During the National Poultry and Food DistributorsAssociation’s (NPFDA) annual convention, JimSumner received the organization’s LifetimeAchievement Award because of his efforts inpromoting U.S. poultry exportsduring his 21 years at the helmof USAPEEC.

NPFDA gives the awardannually to a person whosecareer accomplishments haveplayed a major role in the growthof the poultry industry, and U.S.poultry exports have increasedfrom $700 million to more than$4 billion during Jim’s tenure.

In accepting the award, Sumner gave credit to the

USAPEEC domestic and international staff. “I learned a long time ago that to be successful,

one must surround himself with the most capablepeople,” he said. “And I think the accomplishments of

USAPEEC over the yearsreflect that.” Sumner’s familyalso joined him for the award.

Numerous USAPEECmembers and staff were onhand for the presentation, aswere representatives of theNational Chicken Council, theGeorgia Poultry Federation,the Mexican Association ofPoultry Producers and the

International Poultry Council.

USAPEEC President honored

Incredible in the news for February, March & AprilA pair of great articles appeared in the Weight

Watchers’ January/February issue, a result of AEB’sNovember editor event for Chef Jeffrey Saad’scookbook. The first article highlighted cooking tips forpoached eggs, along with severalrecipes featuring poached eggs asthe star ingredient. The secondarticle featured an interview withJeffrey, talking about his favoritespices to use in thekitchen such as smokedpaprika and turmeric.

The February issuesof Ladies’ HomeJournal, Midwest Living,Redbook and More allfeatured articles on theincredible egg. More’s“Breakfast for Dinner”article includes eggs inthe meal suggestionswith the writer stating,“A great thing aboutbeing a grownup: You set your ownmealtime rules, and if that meanseggs or waffles for dinner, so be it.”Ladies’ Home Journal asks itsreaders to “Put away the cereal bowl! Make yourmorning 100 percent more delicious with easy minimuffins, blueberry lemon bread, bacon tarts andmore. Quiche is incredibly versatile. It can vary withthe seasons, accommodate a wide spectrum ofcheeses, vegetables and meats, and can be servedfor breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

The March/April issue of Cooking with Paula Deen

includes step-by-step instructions for frittatas,omelets, frying and hard-boiling. Everyday Foodfeatures a recipes for a vegetable frittata. In Reader's Digest, Mark Bittman tells readers the

proper way to boil eggs.Parenting says, “Sayonaracereal. Even the mostreluctant breakfast eaterwon't be able to resist thisfun fare, including EarlyBirds, made with extra hard-boiled eggs which you cansave time by making on theweekend.”

In April’s Bon Appetit, anarticle titled “Theincredible egg” states,“There’s magic in thatshell – and all youneed to unlock it are afew basic techniques.Here, the best chefsin the country showhow to make toweringsoufflés, velvetyscrambles, creamycarbonaras, andmore. So getcracking.” FoodNetwork Magazinefeatures egg master

Alton Brown creating eggs in numerous ways almoston command. Another article within the issue featuresGiada De Laurentiis making eggs. Coverage isexpected to increase as Easter nears.

Breakfast continues as the major growth

driver in foodservice with more breakfasts, customers and eggs

being served in this daypart. The nation’s Quick Service

Restaurants (QSRs) account for nearly 85% of all breakfasts away

from home. Research shows the dramatic growth during the last

several years. The American Egg Board focuses on the QSR segment.

24,000

When considering share of

breakfast, QSRs maintain the

largest share overall at 84%.

There was also an 11% increase

in this share of breakfast since

2007 (from 76% to 84%).III

Successful Good Egg Project promotions with

Subway locations in Boston, Central PA and

Washington, D.C. resulted in a food bank

donation of

eggs. One egg was donated for each egg

sandwich sold within the promotion period.

locations of Subway launched

breakfast in April 2010

with AEB’s assistance. 140,000

In the QSR Morning Meal

segment, there are

631million

more servings of eggs since

2006.I

Meals orderedthat include eggs at QSRMorning Mealhas increased by 10%

during the lastfour years.I

Panera launched

a line of egg

breakfast sandwiches

with help from

AEB

in 2009.

Over the last five

years, egg popularity

at QSR Morning

Meal continued to

increase.I

Since 2006, the QSR

Morning Meal segment

has gained:

2%share points in traffic;

591more

restaurant visits; and

$7.3b i l l i o n

in incremental sales.ISince 2007, breakfast

penetration at QSRs

increased According to The NPD

Group, breakfast foods

should outpace demand

through 2019.II

AEB works with

QSR chains–

providing the latest

trend info, driving

development of

innovative egg-based

breakfasts and helping

build traffic.

The 2012 online program with

media partner QSR magazine

is providing more than

targeted impressions.

SOURCES: THE NPD GROUP, YE AUGUST 2011I; THE NPDGROUP/FUTURE OF FOODSERVICE REPORT 2010II; DATASSENTIALS

RESEARCH, 2012III

300,000

45%.III

The Foodservice print “Panini” ad received a Signet Research Inc.Ad Study Award for the insertion appearing in the December issue ofQSR magazine. The inscription on the award reads: “In recognition ofadvertising which achieved outstanding readership response asmeasured against all other ads appearing in QSR magazineDecember2011.”

With theheadline “Don’tJust MakeBreakfast…Make itIncredible,” theprint adreceived thesecond highestad score in theissue. As amatter of fact,the total score for the ad was 66 percent above the issue average. TheAd readership scores for Recall Seeing and Recall Reading, furthermeasuring the effectiveness of the ad, were also considerably abovethe issue average scores.

As part of the research, study respondents viewing the ad areasked to provide relevant comments related to how they view theobjective of the ad. A selection of comments from the readership studyparticipants include: “Smart ad;” “Good brand positioning;” “Goodpictures sell;” “Gets its point across;” “Eggs. Simple and effective;” and“Great ad. Very little print and lots of picture. Really outstanding.”

Accolades for foodservice adFacebook & InglesENC participated in a Facebook

forum with Ingles Supermarketfans using the Incredible Eggavatar and asked a variety ofquestions about nutrition healthand egg cookery to Ingles’ fans.The Registered Dietitian for Inglesasked that ENC, the egg experts,educate her consumer audience oneggs.

More than 90 consumersactively participated, and a coupleof the tidbits from the evening werethat most of them recognizedincluded vitamin D, choline andprotein as key nutrients in eggs.They expressed a love for eatingeggs all different ways.

AEB’s Culinary School program aims to educate students on eggsafety/handling and the many benefits of using eggs in the foodservicekitchen. Last year, more than 2,200 students were reached at high-profile culinary schools across the country.

The upcoming spring months will be a busy time for reachingculinary students and their chef instructors with relevant egg informationand materials. Some of the timely topics that will be presented to theseprofessional chefs of the future include: egg handling/preparation,breakfast trends/statistics, egg production information, the Good EggProject, nutrition, range of product formats and egg industry overview.These topics supplement and highlight egg specific information thatmay be limited in the curriculum at many culinary schools.

Some recent program highlights and/or upcoming programsscheduled include: December, Le Cordon Bleu College of CulinaryArts, Las Vegas (100 students reached); February, the Art Institute ofPhoenix (85 students reached); Upcoming: March, Johnson & WalesUniversity, Miami; & University of Nevada Las Vegas, The Art Institute ofLas Vegas and Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas; April, Johnson & WalesUniversity and The Art Institute, Charlotte, NC; May, Le Cordon Bleuand The Art Institute of Atlanta.

Additional programs will be scheduled when the schools gear up tothe busy fall education season.

Program targets culinary students

“Motivation

is 50 percent

inspiration, 50 percent

perspiration and

50 percent exaggeration.”

-Stan Silliman

Eggspression

MONTHLY

Each year, AEB allocates funding, based on a population/layer formula, for the state promotional organizations to carry out AEB’s national message to consumers on a local level through the State Support Program. The leaders of these groups have connections that help AEB extend its reach and

maximize this investment. Without these local leaders, AEB would miss a vital opportunity to reach theseaudiences in such a targeted and, often, hands-on way. Going forward, the News from AEB will spotlightone event showcasing the incredible results of this program each month. Information and pictures ofapproved events that used AEB funding should be sent to Jacinta LeDonne, jledonne@aeb.org.

State Support Program Spotlight–a new feature

March 2012–At the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo,the Texas Egg Council (TEC) partnered with the show andTexas A&M University to assist with an education area forinner-city school-age kids. Using AEB dollars to staff andstock the AGventure display, TEC created the opportunityfor students see firsthand the hen barn as well as many

other forms of poultry production. A video played on a continuous loop, onseveral monitors, showing a visit to the Kieke Egg Farm in Burton, TX.

Viewers learned about the entire egg production process from how the eggs are gathered to the carethe hens received and the washing, grading and packing involved. Teachers who brought their studentsthrough this exhibit routinely asked for classroom materials, so they can continue the farm-to-table lessonin their classrooms. AGventure is a popular field trip destination each year–educating urban childrenabout where their food really comes from. This beneficial program increases the knowledge of whatmodern agriculture looks like and educates consumers about what farmers do to provide high-qualityfoods.

SpotlightOn:

TX

ENC hosts successful WebinarJeff Volek, Ph.D., RD, and Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD, presented a

Webinar titled “Carbohydrate and Saturated Fat: Emerging Research andNew Schools of Thought.” This valuable, yet controversial topic reached533 health professionals

The topic and speakers were well received and the recorded Webinaris available on EggNutritionCenter.org. Here are a few of the commentsfrom participants:

• “Norecommendationsfor improvement-one of the mostwell-doneWebinars I haveattended.”

• “Thank youfor thispresentation. Inmy career, I haveboth taught andpracticed clinicalnutrition.Sometimes, my suggestions in practice have gotten ahead of theresearch. It was wonderful to hear this presentation of current fat andcarbohydrate research and to know that I was on the right track!”

• “Bravo! Thought provoking discussions.”• “I enjoyed both Kathleen and Jeff very much. They were both

extremely knowledgeable. They gave me justifiable pause in altering themessages I communicate to the public.”

• “The slides were superior to those of any Webinar I've attended sofar.”

• “That was a great presentation! Learned a lot about how highcarbohydrate diets are not a good solution to lower risk of heart disease.”

Institute of Food TechnologistsOn March 28-29, AEB will be exhibiting at the Institute of Food

Technologists Wellness 12 conference held at the InterContinentalChicago O’Hare. IFT’s Wellness 12 offers food product professionalsinvolved in developing, producing and promoting food products a uniquecombination of the latest advances in healthful foods that resonate withtoday’s health-focused consumers.

Attendees of the conference will have an opportunity to learn aboutthe functional and nutritional benefits of egg products and about AEB’sonline educational opportunities through FunctionalEgg.org.