ARLINGTON, VA – Last month, USA Rice hit local news to promote U.S.-grown rice to consumers gearing up for the holiday season with media segments conducted in partnership with the mid-Atlantic grocery chain Weis Markets that featured a live cooking demonstration showcasing the U.S.-grown difference to consumers in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, market.
Weis Senior Regional Dietitian Lyndi Mies led both cooking segments that prominently featured the USA Rice logo. Mies prepared industry recipes for Rice Stuffing with Butternut Squash and Brown Rice Fritters, and shared U.S.-grown talking points, discussed the nutritional merits of both whole and enriched rice, and reminded consumers that rice is a high-quality carbohydrate that should be consumed as part of a healthy diet.
During the segments, member brands were highlighted, and viewers were encouraged to access the USA Rice editorial in the Weis
Healthy Bites in-store magazine, “Home for the Holidays with U.S.-Grown Rice,” which included the two rice recipes and pointed shoppers to the GITUSA logo on brands available at all 200 store locations as well as online.
“These types of promotion opportunities are great for getting the word out on U.S.-grown rice and having consumers look to rice as more than a side dish,” said Robbie Trahan, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice Domestic Promotion Committee.
The two media segments were broadcast during the Sunrise Chef portion of the news on WFMZ, covering the Lehigh Valley, Berks County, and Philadelphia. The total viewership of each segment was just over 28,000. Go
here to watch a segment.
“Local news shows allow us to share industry messaging directly to the consumer via a trusted expert like a Weis dietitian, which resonates with viewers who turn to their local news as a respected source of information,” said Trahan.