U.S. Pulled Pork, Pre-Cooked Bacon Promoted at Fine Food Australia

U.S. pre-cooked bacon and pulled pork were promoted by USMEF at Fine Food Australia, the leading food industry trade show in the Oceanic region. Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and the National Pork Board, promotional efforts included sharing information about U.S. pork’s quality and consistency and offering tasting samples to the show’s nearly 30,000 visitors.

Attendees at the Fine Food Australia trade show in Melbourne learn about U.S. pork and sample pre-cooked bacon and pulled pork

“Our goal each year at Fine Food Australia is to maintain a solid presence in the region for U.S. pork and help importers reach more prospective customers,” said Sabrina Yin, USMEF director in the ASEAN region. “This year, we worked with an importer to highlight a couple of U.S. pork products that are gaining popularity in other markets – pre-cooked bacon and pulled pork. Many visitors were amazed with the taste and quality of the samples. The local Australians were exceptionally interested in the U.S. pre-cooked bacon for its texture and flavor. We served the pulled pork with barbecue sauce and there was a very favorable response to that dish, as well.”

The 2018 edition of Fine Food Australia, which alternates between Sydney and Melbourne each year, took place over four days in Melbourne. It featured more than 1,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries. There were six international pavilions hosting food companies and organizations representing the U.S., South Korea, Austria, Germany, Thailand and Italy.

USMEF joined 14 other American organizations in the U.S. pavilion.

“Many of them were new exhibitors showcasing food and beverage products such as chips, candies, dried goods, sauces, biscuits, cookies, canned food and soft drinks,” explained Yin. “They were there to explore the Australian market, which is an indication that there is plenty of room in this market for growth.”

USMEF’s booth inside the pavilion featured continuous screenings of U.S. pork industry videos that demonstrated production, handling, packing and exporting of U.S. pork.

Charts, recipes and informational brochures were distributed to guests and USMEF staff and representatives answered questions from show visitors.

Sabrina Yin, left, USMEF ASEAN director, offers samples of U.S. pork to James Carouso, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia.

Special guests who spent time at the USMEF booth were Rey Santella, agricultural counselor for USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) office in Australia; Lindy Crothers, marketing specialist for FAS in Australia; and Brendan Cody, agricultural marketing specialist for the FAS office in New Zealand.

USMEF’s display case at Fine Food Australia featured U.S. pork pre-cooked bacon and pulled pork

USMEF also had a U.S.-Australian market update exchange with James Carouso, chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in the Australian capital, Canberra.