Spreitzer discussed USMEF strategies to develop demand for cuts specifically from the pork loin and beef round primals, pointing to estimates that loin exports now account for about 20% of U.S. production, up from roughly 10% five years ago.

Lorenzo Elizalde, USMEF’s director of trade and marketing in Mexico, highlighted USMEF’s mobile training program, which utilizes a variety of U.S. meat promotional vehicles to educate importers and distributors, and their customers, on underutilized cuts.

USMEF Latin America Director Homero Recio focused his comments on merchandising of underutilized cuts in Colombia, Peru and Chile, and how USMEF is working to promote new uses for U.S. pork and beef in these markets.

Japan Marketing Manager Taichi Uemura explained that the majority of Japan’s chilled pork imports are loins, mostly sold thinly sliced at retail for use in popular Japanese dishes.

Taiwan’s beef import market is traditionally competitive and price-sensitive, and USMEF has been aggressively promoting a range of alternative U.S. beef cuts for about 10 years. Alex Sun, USMEF’s senior marketing manager, said the strategic focus for the foodservice sector in 2024 is on the outside round flat and the top round.

Elly Sung, senior marketing manager in Korea, reported that USMEF is working to expand U.S. pork’s usage by comparing its quality and versatility alongside domestic product for importers, distributors, and their customers.

Thursday’s general session featured U.S. consumer insights from Anne-Marie Roerink, meat consumer expert and author of the Power of Meat report.

A common theme through Roerink’s presentation and the ensuing panel discussion was how consumer behaviors, domestic and international, have changed due to inflation and the sharp rise in food prices since 2019.

Lucia Ruano, USMEF representative in Central America and the Dominican Republic, brought up a recent survey in Guatemala showing that family, friends, and social media are the top three influences in consumers’ food purchasing decisions.

Taz Hijikata, USMEF’s senior director of consumer affairs in Japan, discussed the country’s overall awareness about protein’s importance, especially in the aging population but also among younger generations.

Jihae Yang, who is based in Korea and serves as USMEF’s vice president of the Asia Pacific, said it is critical for the red meat industry to monitor and understand the evolving purchasing behavior of younger generations and to evolve along with them.

Thursday’s program also included meetings of USMEF’s standing committees, examining issues of specific interest to the pork, beef, feedgrains and oilseeds and exporter sectors. Highlights from the opening day of the conference are available in this USMEF press release.

USMEF members will next meet at the organization’s Strategic Planning Conference, which is set for Nov. 6-8 in Tucson, Ariz.

Source: USMEF