American Meat Institute announces Eric Mittenthal as vice president of public affairs

Nevin Barich

WASHINGTON , January 4, 2012 (press release) – Food industry and broadcast news veteran Eric Mittenthal has been named vice president of public affairs for the American Meat Institute.

In his position, Mittenthal will handle press relations and media outreach, plan and execute communications strategies around the Institute’s legislative and regulatory priorities and supervise social media efforts.

Prior to joining AMI, Mittenthal held the position of director of media relations at the International Food Information Council (IFIC), where he led nutrition and food safety communications to mainstream and social media.

Mittenthal has an extensive background in broadcast journalism, serving as an associate producer at WAGA-TV in Atlanta, and as an anchor, reporter and Jacksonville bureau chief at WCTI-TV in New Bern, North Carolina. He has also worked for Batten Communications in Atlanta and KIFI-TV in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Mittenthal holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Cornell University and a master of biomedical sciences from Eastern Virginia Medical School.

“We are extremely pleased to have Eric on board,” said AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle. “His unique combination of food safety knowledge and background in broadcasting, as well as his experience in the increasingly important area of social media, will be great assets to our public affairs team.”

AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI’s members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

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