Business Development Team from the Philippines Gets Look at U.S. Pork Industry

Meat buyers examine pork products and discuss U.S. pork processing at a USMEF trade mission to Indiana and Iowa pork facilities

USMEF recently hosted a team of leading meat buyers from the Philippines on a trade mission to the United States to get a look at the slaughtering, processing and fabrication of U.S. pork and to discuss future business opportunities. Funding support for the team, which was made up of first-time visitors to the U.S., was provided by the Pork Checkoff.

Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN region, said conditions in the global market make it vital to share firsthand knowledge of the U.S. pork industry with buyers and introduce potential customers to the product.

“In light of the fierce competition in the Philippines from European pork, Canadian pork and domestic hog producers, it is a challenge to stay competitive in the Philippine market,” explained Yin. “On this particular trade mission, USMEF adjusted the initial project from a processing industry team to a business development team. Our goal was to reach a broader audience of meat importers in the Philippines, so we added canned meat manufacturers and wet market distributors to the team.”

The Business Development Team from the Philippines visits the Indiana Pork Board

The group met with representatives of the Indiana Pork Board, who offered a thorough overview of that state’s pork industry, including hog production and market conditions. A tour of retail meat departments — a Kroger Supermarket in Indianapolis and a Woodman’s Food Market in Carpentersville, Illinois — informed team members about current trends in packaging, merchandising and promotions of U.S. processed pork. After a meeting with the Indian Packers Corporation, the team witnessed the ham boning process at Trim-Rite Food Corporation in Carpentersville, as well as processing operations at two pork slaughter plants – JBS in Worthington, Minnesota, and Tyson Foods in Perry, Iowa.

“The team gained invaluable experience and knowledge of the U.S. pork industry, so missions like this help give U.S. pork more recognition in a very competitive market,” said Yin. “We hope to build on this mission in the future to include a meat science educational session from a local university and perhaps a visit to a hog farm for a full understanding of the ‘Farm to Table’ concept.”