USMEF Virtual Spring Conference Pt 2

USMEF Virtual Spring Conference Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. A panel discussion during the recently held U.S. Meat Export Federation Virtual Spring Conference focused on marketing U.S. red meat in a post-pandemic world.

USMEF representatives from around the globe were there to give insights for their markets.

Jihae (gee-hay) Yang, with USMEF in South Korea, says U.S. bone-in steaks that were once found only in high-end restaurants are becoming more popular in the Korean retail sector …

YANG … “Tomahawk steak and vertical the cut bone in short rib, known as camping rib in Korea, are the two mega items this year.”

Yang says Tomahawk steaks became popular after Outback Steakhouse launched it in 2017.

YANG … “All retail chains are now selling tomahawk steak, so this contributed to U.S. loin exports increased by 40% for the first four months this year.”

Gerardo Rodriguez, with USMEF in Mexico and Central

America, says the pandemic forced distributors to shift to direct marketing and new channel development …

RODRIGUEZ … “During 2020, and the food service facing so many problems, some of the distributors, they shift from selling from business to business to business to consumer. This means that they were opening new stores, they were targeting the end consumer, and they were trying to reach a different audience, so they were developing a new segment for them.”

Reps from Japan say with the Olympic coming in late July and a higher vaccination rate, they expect tourism to pick up again.

To learn more online, go to www.USMEF.org .

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