USMEF Trade Seminar Examines China’s Prepared Foods Market

More than 250 attended a USMEF seminar to learn about growth opportunities in the prepared foods market and potential applications with U.S. pork and beef.

With consumer demand for prepared foods expanding in China, USMEF hosted a trade seminar in Shanghai that highlighted industry innovations and the value and versatility offered by pork and beef cuts when used in home meal replacement and restaurant meal replacemnt items.

Industry experts discussed growth, consumer trends, innovation and developments in China’s prepared foods industry

“Similar to Korea, the prepared food category in China is expanding as Chinese consumers seek convenient, high-quality meals at home,” says USMEF Vice President of Asia Pacific Jihae Yang. “There are immediate market opportunities and one of our goals was to connect the U.S. red meat supply chain with prefabricated food developers in China.”

More than 250 importers, distributors, processors and other prospective customers attended the seminar to learn about the development of the prepared foods market, innovations in packaging and new uses for U.S. pork and beef in prepared meals.

Prior to the seminar, USMEF partnered with a noted research and development company to create eight prepared food dishes each with U.S. pork and U.S. pork and beef for display and consideration by seminar participants.

Products demonstrated at the event included beef jerky items derived from U.S. round cuts and meals featuring American pork loin as the center-of-the-plate entrée.

USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom presents an award to a Chinese company that demonstrated innovations in the development of ready-to-cook products using U.S. pork and beef

"We’re working to show how American pork and beef can fit in product development plans for prepared foods,” says USMEF China Marketing Director Polly Zhao. “We’re also taking a team of potential customers from China to Korea to learn about home meal replacement products and to demonstrate how U.S. pork and beef is utilized.”

Consul General Scott Walker and Lashonda McLeod Harper, director of USDA’s Shanghai Agricultural Trade Office, attended USMEF’s seminar to support the U.S. red meat industry. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom and Asia Pacific Vice President Jihae Yang also joined Zhao for the seminar.

Funding for the seminar was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program, the National Pork Board, United Soybean Board and USDA’s Market Access Program.

SOURCE: USMEF