MISSOURIAN TO HOLD MEATLOAF LOVERS' CONTEST

A bounty of beef may result in the lowest prices in years for ground beef this summer. And that means meatloaf's popularity could soar.

Meatloaf is a mealtime staple that is as all-American as apple pie. For many families, the recipe has been handed down from grandparents to parents to grown children.

The basic ingredients are the same: ground beef, bread or cracker crumbs, egg and tomato sauce. But everyone has their own twist.

The Southeast Missourian is sponsoring its first-ever Meatloaf Lovers' Contest. The deadline to submit recipes has been extended to April 19. See the accompanying graphic for details.

Nutrition specialists with the University of Missouri Extension will help judge the written recipes.

Five finalists will be asked to bake up their recipes for a taste test by a panel of celebrity judges April 27. All five and their recipes will be featured on the May 5 Lifestyle page, along with as many of the submitted meatloaf recipes as possible.

Beef supplies are high nationwide and growing, said Kristin Allen of the Missouri Beef Council in Jefferson City. Missouri is No. 2 in the number of beef cows -- behind Texas. As such, Missouri will play a key role in growing beef supplies, said Allen.

She pointed to a number of reasons for high supply of beef: Live cattle prices have been dropping so many farmers will send their meat to market before prices drop further; each cow produces more pounds of beef thanks to agricultural advances; and the number of cows has been growing in recent years. There is no connection to the mad cow scare in Great Britain.

Some analysts say the price of ground beef per pound may drop as low as 50 cents per pound this summer.

Meatloaf is more popular than ever, said Pat Coker with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association in Chicago, Ill. It's showing up on the menus of many first-class restaurants -- priced at up to $18 per serving. Many of these restaurants are topping the meat with a variety of sauces.

"It's a comfort food and comfort foods are big now," she said.

Candance Gabel, University of Missouri Extension nutrition specialist in Van Buren, said meatloaf has always been popular at America's dinner table because it is such a cost-effective dish.

It is also a very versatile staple. Gabel said parents can add chopped-up vegetables such as celery or carrots to meatloaf to add vitamins for children. Adding powdered milk to the mix can increase calcium. Many people put ketchup on the top of meatloaf anyway, and that will help mask the taste of the vegetables for children, she suggested.

Her personal favorite is to add cheddar cheese and barbecue sauce to the meatloaf mixture.

What makes meatloaf so popular? It's easy, it's filling and most people like it, said Gabel.

Dennis Marchi, manager of Schnucks in Cape Girardeau, said prices of ground beef are very competitive, and will probably continue to drop into the summer. Sale prices now range as low as 69 cents per pound in the area, he said.

"It's been a long time since ground beef prices have been this low," he said.

Marchi said the abundance of beef would reflect in lower prices for other cuts of meat as well, but ground beef is certainly the biggest seller.

BEEF FACTS

Americans consume an average of 69 pounds of beef per person annually.

The U.S. is the No. 1 consumer of beef in the world, followed by Argentina.

The U.S. produces more beef than any other country iun the world.

Missouri is the second leading state in the nation in the number of beef cows: 2.24 million.

Annual sales of beef cattle and calves in Missouri amounts to nearly $1 billion.

To enter the Southeast Missourian's Meetloaf Lovers' Contest, send recipe to:

Meatlof Lovers' Contest

Box 699

Cape Girardeau, MO 63702-0699

Deadline for entering has been extended to Friday, April 19.

Top five finalists will be asked to bake up recipe April 27.

Winners will be featured on May 5 Lifestyle page.

Prizes include a six-month subscription or extension to the paere and comic-strip umbrellas.