06/08/06 Middle East beef

Middle East Beef Whenever most people think of the Middle East it is thoughts of oil and war, but other business, more peaceful and less reported are still carried out. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be right back to tell you about one. One of the increasing businesses with the Middle East is the promoting and selling of U.S. beef. To accomplish the promotion of our beef product the United States Meat Export Federation is using the Middle East media. This media is playing an ever-increasing role in Middle East culture and U.S. beef's message is in front of nearly 773,00 Arab readers in just three of the publications. The main message highlights the quality and safety of our beef using stories about American beef production to market beef's attributes. This is reinforced using beef information, recipes, and cooking techniques. Recently three entrees prepared with American beefsteaks, liver and sausages were featured in magazines and weekly publications. Beef liver is one of the big sellers in Egypt and demand is increasing with one importer working to expand purchases by 600 metric tons. 2006 estimates for beef products value sent to Egypt are at almost 88 million dollars. Kuwait and United Arab Emirates also have increasing markets for U.S. beef. Maybe the next time you think about the Middle East and its problems you will also think of one of the trade positives created by U.S. beef sales. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 5/17/06