US Heartland Team Promotes US Meat, Variety Cuts

Twenty-one representatives of the beef, pork, corn, and soy sectors traveled to Japan recently to see firsthand the promotion of us red meat in the market by the US Meat Export Federation. The delegation known as the USMEF Heartland Team, spoke with students at a culinary school, viewed US product displays and retail outlets, visited a beef tongue processing facility, a wygu farm, and witnessed a beef carcass auction at the Tokyo market. Japan is a key market for exports of variety meats, especially beef tongue, According to UScattle producer, Mark Goes who was part of the delegation.

“Tongue product is everywhere, right down to tongue-flavored pretzels. And so the Japan imports a tremendous amount of tongue from the United States, and they have learned to utilize it to where it's favored over ribeye steak for them, the tongue is a standard and a staple for them here. And so it I knew of that issue before, but to see it firsthand, and the magnitude with which it's ingrained into the society is just incredible.”

And Jesse Heimer, a National Pork Board member, notes the demand for quality over price in a Japanese market, which sets a standard for pork production in the United States,

the quality standard at every plant is based on the color expectation that the Japanese customer wants.”

USMEF, President and CEO Dan Halstrom, says demand for quality makes it important for US producers to travel to Japan to tell consumers and importers their story.