September 21, 2007

North American beef makes its presence felt in Taiwan

US and Canadian beef-promoting agencies have been dishing out aprons and discounts to Taiwan's shoppers this month in a bid to entice them to buy more beef, according to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA).

Hoping to make up for lost time, the United State Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the Canadian Beef Export Federation (CBEF) have been running beef campaigns in Taiwan after a 30-month absence from the market due to mad cow disease bans.

USMEF is co-ordinating a one month promotion with a local bank to grant credit card holders discounts at 20 USMEF-recommended yakiniku and hot pot restaurants.

The agency is also sponsoring promotions in Carrefour stores.

Canadian chilled beef are yet to be sold in retail outlets, but CBEF has also been active since it re-entered the Taiwanese market, offering importers trips to Canada, running promotions and distributing free aprons.