The continuing trend of consumers preparing and eating more meals at home rather than dining out presents a rich opportunity for meat managers at retail supermarkets. However, consumers’ strong interest in preparing meat dishes may not be matched by their culinary skills, which is where the opportunity for meat managers comes in.

With the goal of honing their skills at helping home cooks, many supermarket meat managers, meat cutters, butchers and the like are learning how to think more like chefs.

The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association hosted a “Beef Training Camp” this summer where more than 80 meat managers and the CEO of Southern Family Markets learned from chefs methods to properly grill Flat Iron steaks and discovered the nuances of dry (grilled or broiled) and wet (simmering or braising) cooking.

The meat managers attending the training prepared meals themselves under the watchful eyes of chefs who also offered tips on responding to consumer inquiries. After a full day of hands-on training, meat managers are prepped and ready to offer consumers advice on how to prepare, cook and serve meats with confidence and flair.

Public opinion research conducted as part of the Beef CheckOff consistently reveals that consumers view supermarket meat managers as experts and look to them for information.

“It’s vitally important that meat managers are trained in the latest consumer preferences, wants and needs,” Ed Whatley, manager of beef promotion and producer communications at ACA told Foodie News. “Educated consumers will purchase more meat. The bottom line is this kind of training helps sales,” he said.

The camp conducted by ACA is part of a national program coordinated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA).