Tasting Samples Distinguish U.S. Pork at Fine Food New Zealand

Creating greater awareness of U.S. pork and raising interest among hundreds of food companies in the Oceania region, USMEF offered tasting samples and product information at Fine Food New Zealand, an international showcase held every other year in Auckland. USMEF’s presence at the 2016 show, which enjoyed a 12 percent increase in attendance compared to 2014, was funded by the USDA Market Access Program and the Pork Checkoff.

U.S. pork tasting samples were handed out to visitors at Fine Food New Zealand, one of the region’s largest food trade shows

While exhibitors from Thailand, Singapore, the European Union, Australia, India and other countries also displayed goods, USMEF capitalized on U.S. pork’s flavor and quality to attract the attention of attendees. Cooked U.S. pork samples included boneless ribs, pulled pork, glazed pork patties, pork meatballs with Portobello mushrooms, pepperoni and pre-cooked bacon.

Attendees at Fine Food New Zealand learn about U.S. pork at the USMEF display

“Many of our visitors mentioned the displeasing aroma of locally produced pork and were impressed with the flavor of the U.S. pork dishes they sampled,” said Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN region. “Another frequent comment we heard was that the bacon sold in New Zealand tastes more like ham – and that they really enjoy the flavor of U.S. pre-cooked bacon. Overall, we had many positive comments and best of all, several food distributors showed interest in the U.S. products on display.”

Assisting USMEF during the show were Jason Folb and Nicole Dehnert, both with Colby International. They helped answer questions from importers and distributors. Rangitikei Meat Distributors, a U.S. pork importer, provided U.S. pork loin and sirloin for USMEF’s product display and sampling. USMEF also shared promotional materials and brochures on U.S. pork, including pork charts, pre-cooked bacon brochures and a U.S. pork foodservice guide.

U.S. pork pre-cooked bacon was a popular product featured at USMEF’s samplings

As for the New Zealand market, U.S. pork exports to the country grew from just $4.4 million in 2003 to nearly $24 million (8,197 metric tons) in 2012. By 2015, the market had attracted a much larger number of foreign suppliers, and U.S. exports fell to $16.7 million (5,650 metric tons). Through the first six months of 2016, U.S. pork was on a similar pace to last year, with $8.5 million (3,165 metric tons) in exports to New Zealand.

“In the New Zealand market, the most remarkable gain in share has to be Spanish pork,” said Yin. “Spain was a small player in 2014 at only 304 metric tons, but in 2015 it had a large piece of market share at 2,629 metric tons. In 2016, it has continued to grow and is now the leading pork exporter to New Zealand.”

The battle to gain a larger share of the market made USMEF’s effort at the biennial Fine Food New Zealand very important.

Pepperoni was among the U.S. products sampled at Fine Food New Zealand

“This year we were able to communicate directly with foodservice operators, retailers and food distributors and we will use the contacts we made to build business relationships,” said Yin. “These relationships help us to better understand the requirements and challenges of end-users, while also allowing us to strategize our future activities.”