a systematic basis for institutional super- 

 visory personnel. Our initial efforts were 

 primarily directed at the schools, but we 

 have more recently expanded our program 

 to include inplant feeding establishments, 

 restaurant associations, Agriculture ex- 

 tension groups, and other groups that are 

 interested in mass feeding. To date about 

 2,500 demonstrations have been given 

 throughout the country. 



Figure 8 indicates the coverage 

 through our school lunch fish cookery 

 demonstration program. The black states 

 are those that have been saturated; that 

 is, where approximately 75 percent of the 

 schools have been contacted by our rep- 

 resentatives, and where, in many instances, 

 there have been repeat surveys after an 

 intervening period of It or 5 years. The 

 white states are those where we have given 

 50 percent or less coverage. The one gray 

 state is Idaho, in which we have given 

 no demonstration. 



Our entree into this field is based 

 on public service — we emphasize fishery 

 commodities and make no mention of brands. 

 The criticism has been made that most of 

 the institutional requirements are met by 

 imported tuna. Our feeling in this mat- 

 ter is that imported tuna is going to be 

 sold and if it goes into the institutional 

 market, it exerts a lesser impact at the 

 retail level which is the backbone of the 

 domestic industry. Also, if people eat 

 well prepared tuna dishes in school, at 

 the industrial cafeterias, and in the 

 restaurants, a desire can be created for 

 expanded household use where the domestic 

 industry has the advantage. 



One of the most effective consumer 

 education portions of our program, is the 

 regular release of publicity material to 

 the various media, such as the radio, 

 press and TV. Some 3,000 home economists, 

 dieticians, extension demonstration agents, 

 and food editors of newspapers, television, 

 radio, and food trade organizations are on 

 our regular mailing list. Press releases 

 on food are prepared biweekly and contain 

 recipes for consumer use. Fishery products, 

 either in plentiful supply or particularly 

 in season, are featured. Here again, our 

 objective is to back up and give additional 

 support to the industry's promotional 

 programs. 



In connection with the special mar- 

 keting programs, such as Canned Foods 

 Month, special recipes, fact sheets, and 

 food photographs are prepared and distrib- 

 uted to food editors throughout the United 

 States. For special campaigns, such as 

 Tuna Week, the Bureau produces special one- 

 page tuna marketing bulletins. On the 

 front of each of these is a notice indicat- 

 ing that the United States Department of 

 the interior is cooperating with the do- 

 mestic tuna industry in promoting the sales 

 of canned tuna, and on the back, two 

 recipes adapted to the individual recip- 

 ients of the material. These market 

 development materials go to the schools; 

 restaurants; State, county and city 

 institutions; inplant feeding establish- 

 ments; and other similar institutional 

 groups. These are produced in considerable 

 volume and are aimed primarily at those 

 outlets not readily accessible to industry 

 promotions . 



One of the factors that has made these 

 programs particularly effective, has been 

 the very enthusiastic response of the 

 food trade organizations. The National 

 Restaurant Association, National Association 

 of Food Chains, Supermarket Institute, the 

 Association of American Railroad Dining 

 Car Officials, several State restaurant 

 associations, the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, and such private food 

 chains as the A&P and others, for example, 

 cooperated in one of the previous Tuna 

 Week programs . 



The best means of encouraging consumer 

 acceptance of any product is through news- 

 papers, radio and television. Black and 

 white food photographs were distributed 

 to the newspapers and TV stations through- 

 out the United States. Incidentally, 

 these were provided to us by the public 

 relations agency representing the California 

 Fish Canners Association and the Bureau paid 

 for the prints which were nationally dis- 

 tributed. You recall earlier that we 

 mentioned that one of the things we were 

 emphasizing was to encourage the use of 

 tuna in hot-prepared meals. Among these 

 tuna dish photographs were a tuna cheese 

 biscuit roll, a tuna pizza, and an open 

 face tuna cheese sandwich. All are hot 

 meals. We hope that tactics of this type 

 will tend to increase consumer use of 

 canned tuna during the colder months. 



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