U.S. Pork’s Advantages Highlighted at SIAL China

Highlighting the attributes of U.S. pork and bringing together exporters and buyers from China’s retail, foodservice and processing sectors, USMEF set up an impressive display at SIAL China, one of the world’s largest food shows. Funded by the Pork Checkoff, USMEF’s booth featured cutting demonstrations and samples of several U.S. pork cuts, as well as opportunities for exporters and buyers to have one-on-one discussions.

USMEF’s presence at SIAL China 2017 featured cuts of U.S. pork on display, along with pork cutting demonstrations and samples

Held in Shanghai, this year’s SIAL China attracted more than 80,000 food industry professionals and 3,200 exhibitors representing 70 countries.

“SIAL China sets the benchmark for food shows and provides a perfect setting for overseas companies stepping into Asia and China,” said Ming Liang, USMEF marketing director in China. “The show is where importers and exporters can gain valuable market insights, analyze trends and learn about innovations in the regional food industry.”

Business discussions between meat importers and exporters at the USMEF display at SIAL China

A number of U.S. red meat competitors also showcased products at SIAL China. Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany and Canada are among the countries vying for a share of this market, and all are aggressive, said Liang.

Buyers from several sectors of China’s food industry sampled U.S. pork dishes at SIAL China

“For this reason, it was important for us to meet with as many key buyers as possible and give them background material detailing the advantages of U.S. pork,” he explained. “It was also a great venue for cutting and cooking U.S. pork to give visitors a taste of the product.”

Among the items featured in the USMEF cutting demonstration were U.S. boneless pork butt, boneless loin, belly, tomahawk loin, French-cut loin, spare ribs, tenderloin and jowl meat.

For the tastings, USMEF chefs prepared a number of U.S. pork dishes, including fried pork chop, roasted pork butt, roasted ribs with sweet sauce and roasted bacon.

Although the Chinese market had not yet opened to U.S. beef, Liang said there were a number of inquiries about importing and distributing U.S. beef in China. USMEF shared with Chinese buyers the advantages of U.S. beef compared to competing products, along with the potential profitability of using underutilized U.S. beef cuts.

“We collected and categorized all the information received at SIAL so that it can be used to promote U.S. beef once it regained access to China,” said Liang.