2022 American Lamb Board News

The U.S. Quarterly Lamb Retail Sales Report for Q4 2021 shows lamb performed better during 2021 than 2020. The report was compiled by Midan Marketing, LLC for the American Lamb Board (ALB) using retail scanner data from IRI representing all lamb retail sales (American and imported).

The American Lamb Board (ALB) has sponsored several activities with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) throughout the years to grow awareness and expand usage of American Lamb among chefs.

The 2022 Power of Meat annual report is out, and there’s good news for lamb. The report summarizes a survey that “looks at meat through the shopper’s eyes,” and addresses all meat, imported and domestic, sold through retail food outlets during 2021. It is the 17th year of The Power of Meat report, sponsored by CRYOVAC and presented at the 2022 Annual Meat Conference.

The sheep and lamb industry saw prices reach historic levels in 2021. The year of outstanding domestic demand for lamb is summarized in the 2021 Sheep Industry Review, a checkoff funded report commissioned by the American Lamb Board (ALB) and compiled by the American Sheep Industry Association.

This week the American Lamb Board (ALB) is participating in Tastemaker Conference, a premier food blogger conference and community for food content creators. The conference draws hundreds of food influencers for networking opportunities and educational sessions with food brand representatives.

“It's been three years since our rebranding, and the American Lamb Checkoff lit a fire with consumers this past year,” said 2021 American Lamb Board (ALB) Past Chair, Gwendolyn Kitzan in the board’s just released FY2021 Annual Report. “What could have been months of downturn for our industry, has sparked some of the best sales increases we’ve seen.”

The American Lamb Board's (ALB) Lamb Lovers Month consumer promotion continues with new recipes and videos introduced by food influencer and YouTube personality, Billy Parisi.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) is working with Michigan State University (MSU) to evaluate the environmental footprint of the U.S. sheep industry in order to have accurate and robust data to contribute to this important issue. The initial focus of the study defines a comprehensive model of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the diverse array of U.S. sheep production systems such as range, farm flock, pasture, intensive and feedlot. MSU will conduct a partial life cycle analysis of lamb production in these types of operations to quantify GHG emissions.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) has deemed February as Lamb Lovers Month for over a decade. This year to encourage celebrating Lamb Lovers Month, ALB is hosting two separate consumer contests. The first giveaway is on Instagram with the goal of increasing engagement with consumers. ALB is giving away a "date night in" package for one lucky couple to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style with American Lamb

While the American Lamb Checkoff rate is not changing, how the mandatory assessments are collected for animals sold through “market agencies” is changing. The change applies to animals sold through auctions, including sale barns, video/online sales, and sales at shows and fairs.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) elected FY2022 leadership at its meeting Jan. 19, held ahead of the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) convention.

According to the latest consumer report issued by Chicago-based Midan Marketing, “Consumers have realigned their priorities and are expecting more than ever from the brands they purchase and the retailers they purchase from.” Based on that assertion, Midan’s 2022 Top Trends to Watch identifies 10 trends expected to shape 2022 and beyond. The American Lamb Board (ALB) consults with Midan on selected projects, such as the latest consumer survey of lamb usage and attitudes.

The American Lamb Board (ALB) provides educational resources and information to consumers largely through digital platforms. Traditional print brochures serve as a foundation of checkoff-funded information, but many key audience targets are seeking information on a digital device in the palm of their hand.