June 21, 2006

 

US meat industry assures international buyers of safety standards

 

Hoping to lift the image of the US beef and pork industries and assure its safety, US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) invited more than 100 meat importers, buyers, retailers, and foodservice representatives from 20 countries to see the US meat industry first-hand last month.

 

Teams met with US producers, processors, and sellers and gained a better understanding of the US meat industry, USMEF said.

 

The UK beef team gained an excellent overview of the US beef industry and had opportunity to do business with a number of US suppliers, said Jackie Hruby, USMEF director of Europe, Russia, and Middle East.

 

The representatives visited several US plants and saw for themselves the process from harvest all the way through to the packaging of meat cuts, said Gilberto Lozano, USMEF Mexico director.

 

Teams from South Korea and Japan were particularly interested in visiting US packing facilities to see first-hand how the industry would meet export requirements from their respective countries.

 

Both Japan and South Korea would require at-risk materials such as brains, spinal cords, nerve tissues and bones removed if they were to resume the beef trade with the US.

 

The packers showed and explained the products strictly managed and processed on the basis of the agreement with Korea, said Jihae Yang, USMEF Korea director. It helped the team better understand the US beef cuts that would be available and how they could be used in their businesses.

 

The Japanese beef team, consisting of hotel and retail buyers, visited US feedlots and plants to learn about cattle identification systems and processing of products for the Japanese market. The Japanese team also consisted of representatives from restaurant chains expected to use US beef after Japan lifts the ban.

 

Visits to US pork facilities helped the Japan pork team, made up of buyers and executive chefs, to understand the US pork industry's production and processing methods, a USMEF representative said.

 

Eddie Troutman, international beef business manager at Cargill Meat Solutions, said he is pleased to see the product showcase return to the USMEF meeting after a four-year absence.

 

As export markets reopen to beef and grow for pork, the showcase provides an opportunity for the meat industry to display products and inform foreign buyers of the safety of US meat, he added.