As export markets continue to grow, especially in regions of the world where standards of living are rising and protein consumption is growing in tandem with income, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) encourages U.S. meat companies are encouraged to take part in its branded products program.

The USMEF branded products promotion program is a matching funds program for small U.S. meat companies that wish to promote their products in overseas markets. It is designed to help small companies break into the international market by helping share the cost of promotions for their brand-name products. Moreover, in international markets, beef, pork and lamb products are increasingly sold under brand names consumers can recognize rather than as generic products. 

Funds from this program can help companies do the following in international markets:

• Attend trade fairs and exhibits
• Offset costs of promotional materials used in connection with a promotion
• Help pay for costs of retail promotions, including fees for chefs, costumes, signs, displays and fees for demonstration staff
• Help cover the cost of seminars, including interpreters, seminar materials, set-up costs/room rental, slides and production
• Translate educational materials such as company brochures and product sheets

In its most recent fiscal year, USMEF funded 22 companies through its branded products promotion program. Five of the companies were new exporters, these being their first activities directed to international customers. All of the activities revolved around attendance at trade shows, both domestic and international. Two companies supplemented their attendance at trade shows with seminars.

USMEF is now accepting applications for its FY08 fiscal year from U.S. companies interested in receiving matching funds to promote their branded U.S. meat products in international markets.

• Promotions funded under this program must be conducted between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2008. Applications will be accepted as long as funds are available.
• Eligible companies must have 500 or fewer employees, or be a producer cooperative or association. 
• Companies that receive funding from USMEF will be charged a 5 percent administrative fee for participation in the program. 
• USMEF also requires a $100 application fee to accompany the company's request for funding.  These funds will be applied toward the 5 percent fee.

Companies interested in the program should contact Barbara Watson at the USMEF Denver office (303) 623-6328 or bwatson@usmef.org for guidelines and proposal format. The application and information on the program also is available on the USMEF Web site at http://usmef.org/TradeLibrary/BrandedPrograms.asp.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

– USMEF –