KANSAS CITY – Led by a revelation from the North American Meat Institute’s Janet Riley, officials with the Beef Checkoff and NAMI unveiled a new product innovation known as “Beefshi” that gives consumers a beef-based alternative to traditional sushi. The groups have partnered to launch a website (www.Beefshi.com) to promote and educate the culinary community and consumers as to how a variety of beef products can be prepared in a sushi style without seafood ingredients.

Just after the Feb. 12 announcement of the concept, Riley discussed the details of the project in a podcast with MEAT+POULTRY Editor Joel Crews. The story behind the birth of “Beefshi,” according to Riley, began as an effort to create a sushi alternative that would appeal to millennials. It quickly evolved to a research-supported option that could give beef a new opportunity to appeal to an influential and growing segment of the population as well as foodies everywhere.