August 14, 2024

USMEF event in Santiago, Chile, highlights partnership to increase presence of US pork in country

Industry efforts to grow the presence of US pork in Chile took a step forward this summer with the launch of a partnership between US pork producer Wholestone Prestage and US supplier Andes Global.

In light of this development, the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) hosted a launch event in Santiago, Chile, to announce the partnership and introduce new US pork cuts to retailers and distributor clients of Andes Global.

In preparation for the launch, USMEF worked with Andes Global to identify US pork cuts with demand potential in Chile. Seven cuts were selected and then shipped to Santiago for the event, which attracted 23 attendees from 11 Chilean retailers and distributors. Representatives from the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) also attended to support the new partnership.

"Few cultural dishes in Chile include pork, which presents a challenge to grow demand for a wider range of US pork cuts here," said USMEF South America Representative Jessica Julca. "Imports of US pork ribs grew last year though, as grilling gains popularity in the region. There is an opportunity to grow demand for ribs and develop new demand for other US pork cuts in Chile. Overall, our goal is to increase the range of US pork cuts that are available in Chile's retail and foodservice sectors."

Andes Global's Jose Gomez, sales manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, discussed the new partnership and the potential for new US pork cuts in Chile.

At the launch event, Julca highlighted the consistent quality of US pork, emphasising that its superior taste and tenderness is a result of sustainable production practices and feeding programs utilising high-quality US soybeans.

Julca also promoted the benefits of Wholestone Prestage's participation in the US pork industry's Pork Quality Assurance Plus programme, which makes its product eligible for export to Chile under the USDA's Pork Quality Plus Export Verification programme in place of testing or freezing parameters for trichinae mitigation.

Chile, Argentina, Barbados and Peru are countries that accept such verification under the PQA Plus export verification programme.

- Swineweb