December 22, 2014

3 Min Read
3 beef headlines: Shark Tank, Biggest Loser & The Food Babe

What have been consumers talking about lately? It’s important to stay in tune with our customers, so we can make stronger connections from pasture to plate. To find out what consumers are talking about lately, I gleaned some of the recent headlines in the consumer press and found topics that vary from a farmer seeking investors on the popular TV show, Shark Tank, to Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper talking about the importance of meat in the diet after years of following a vegan diet, to the dethroning of Vani Hari, “The Food Babe,” for her junk science on food. Here are three articles worth reading.

1. Farmer gets backing for business on Shark Tank

This Florida farmer taught the billionaires on Shark Tank a thing or two about the heart of rural America. Although he was a little nervous, his heartfelt pitch for his business really pulled at my heartstrings. I believe he represents the spirit of the American farmer well and should make us all proud. You’ll have to watch the video from start to finish to see what I mean.

 

2. “Ex-Vegan Bob Harper talks the paleo-style low-carb weight loss diet and animal protein power” featured on the Inquisitor

From Bill Clinton, to Anne Hathaway, to Bob Harper, these ex-vegans are talking about how much better they feel now that they’ve added animal proteins back to their diet. When celebrities talk about nutrition, people tend to listen, and I’m glad the rhetoric is one that is favorable to beef. Here is an excerpt:

“Why did Harper end his vegan diet and decide to include animal protein in his daily food plan? An advocate of CrossFit, Bob told the Los Angeles Times that he felt his body needed animal protein for power. And he admitted that he felt guilty when he tried to hide the fact that he had switched from a plant-based diet to a low carb diet with animal proteins.”

 

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Harper says, “I found my performance was really lacking in the gym. I just felt better and I felt stronger. In the beginning, I was quietly eating my egg whites in the morning. Oh my God, I felt so bad. I just couldn’t help it. I just couldn’t hide it any more. It works for me.”

3. “The biggest junk science of 2014: The Food Babe” featured on Real Clear Science

Her stock in trade seems to be going after food companies and scaring consumers. Vani Hari, also known as “The Food Babe,” has gone after Subway, Starbucks and beer brewers. It appears people are finally seeing the light, according to this excerpt:

“It takes a special sort of nonsense to land the top spot on our annual list of junk science. This year, it goes to Vani Hari, better known as ‘The Food Babe.’ And wow did she earn it. Transparency in the food industry is not a bad thing, but Hari's resonant fear mongering, coupled with the way she massacres science, debases everybody's intelligence. She preys on our most flighty, fearful, and irrational instincts. The public deserves better.”

What do you think about this week’s headlines? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

The opinions of Amanda Radke are not necessarily those of Beefmagazine.com or the Penton Farm Progress Group.

 

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