Celebrating the role of animal-source foods on our holiday tables

As we gather with family, friends, and colleagues over the coming months, the holiday season is a great time to celebrate the meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood featured on our tables and the farmers and ranchers and countless others along the supply chain who make these treasured holiday traditions possible.

From delicious turkey to the perfect brisket or flavorful Christmas ham, cheese plates to cheesecake, devilled eggs to smoked salmon, and more – I could go on (except the list makes me hungry!). These foods have brought families together for everyday meals and special occasions for centuries.

What’s more – as the FAO affirmed in a landmark 2023 report – meat, milk, and eggs provide critical nutrients that cannot be easily replaced from other sources. That makes our work to sustain meat for generations to come more important than ever.

I’ve written over the last several months about the many ways the Animal Agriculture Alliance works to support our community’s continuous improvement efforts and to communicate progress and achievements.

We’re a small but mighty team, and we are actively engaged in a wide variety of events, seeking to connect with diverse audiences. Whether in media interviews, senior executive roundtables, or hot sustainability conferences – the Alliance’s dedicated team hits the ground running, with a positive story to tell.

We’re always looking to share our story across platforms and audiences as we work to safeguard the future of animal agriculture. In October, we touched a wide range of audiences and engagement channels – from podcasts to the Sustainable Brands Conference to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Food and Nutrition Conference & Expo (FNCE), and more.

Alliance team member Abby Kornegay and former staffer Casey Kinler joined the Progressive Dairy Podcast to discuss animal rights extremist tactics dairy farmers should be aware of, as well as tips for how farmers can proactively get outside the ag barnyard and build strong relationships with legislators and other stakeholders (listen to the episode here).

In the spirit of breaking down silos, Emily Ellis joined Protein PACT partners at the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego October 16-19, a really important opportunity to engage in open, authentic dialogue with sustainability leaders and executives – sharing how animal agriculture’s drive for continuous improvement helps achieve sustainability goals.

Reaching nutrition experts is also core to our mission. At FNCE October 7-10 in Denver, the Alliance’s booth showcased exciting virtual tours of pig, chicken, and dairy farms for visitors. Too often, those who eat meat, dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood are disconnected from the places where animals are cared for, raised, and fed. It is important for the animal agriculture community to build connections, develop trust through visibility and transparency, and tell our own stories. Huge thanks to our partners at the North Carolina Pork Council, National Chicken Council, and Dairy MAX Inc. for making these virtual farm tours possible.

Looking ahead, we’re proud to help support animal agriculture partners including those involved in the Protein PACT as they join governments, non-government organizations, and stakeholders from many sectors at the upcoming UN Climate Summit (COP28) in Dubai.

There’s never been a better time to lend your support to these efforts and to all the ways we are working to strengthen the animal agriculture community. We invite you to consider supporting the Alliance for Giving Tuesday. Your support will help us transform today’s challenges facing animal agriculture into tomorrow’s solutions. Every bit counts, and from now until November 28, the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association will match donations up to $100,000 to make your contribution go even further.

We’re also accepting speaker and session proposals for our 2024 Stakeholders Summit scheduled for May 8-9 in Kansas City, Missouri. The summit theme of “Ready, Set, Solve!” will emphasize propelling animal agriculture toward our collective goals and bring together expert speakers and hundreds of participants. Registration will open in early 2024. Meanwhile, you can check the Summit website for the latest updates and follow #AAA24 on social media.

Happy Thanksgiving from myself and everyone at the Alliance. We’re grateful for this community, and we look forward to continuing our conversations around real-life and virtual tables (join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook).

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