December 12, 2006

USMEF taps Latin American market for alternative cuts

The US Meat Export Federation is meeting in Colombia this week to explore ways to expand demand for US pork and beef products by offering cuts that would appeal to South American consumers.

USMEF hopes to identify beef and pork cuts, processed products and trimmings that are typically underutilized in the United States, but highly marketable in Colombia, said Courtney Heller, USMEF's export services manager.

This is part of an effort to profit from variety meats. Ricardo Vernazzo-Paganini, director of Central and South America in USMEF, said the representatives first visited US packers to determine what cuts are left over. 

The group would then present that information to South American customers to see which create the most interest and how they should be processed to appeal to the market.