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Audio: USMEF Global Processing Seminar Attracts Companies from Several Regions

Published: Sep 08, 2015
00:00 / 00:00

You may download the audio file here




Meat processing companies from Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, South Korea and Southeast Asia recently gathered at the University of Wisconsin Meat Laboratory to participate in the inaugural U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Global Further Processing Seminar. The primary objective of the seminar was to show these companies how to improve the quality of their processed meat items through the use of U.S. pork and beef as raw materials. In all, 26 companies were represented at the event. Gerardo Rodriguez, USMEF director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic, led a team of processors from his region to the seminar. He explains that it was a great venue for showcasing U.S. red meat to a very important audience of key buyers and decision-makers, and notes that companies attending the seminar received valuable information that can help them launch new products and grow their businesses.

TRANSCRIPT:

Ralph Loos: The first U.S. Meat Export Federation Global Further Processing Seminar was held at the University of Wisconsin. Companies from around the world learned how to improve the quality of their products, while also gaining insight into U.S. beef and pork. In this USMEF report, Gerardo Rodriguez, director of trade development for Central America and the Dominican Republic, explains what was learned and what the benefits are for the companies that participated.

Gerardo Rodriguez: This was a great success for them. Why/ Because they are doing this process in their own facilities, trying to offer their customers a more price-affordable options that what they are currently selling to them. They learned about ingredients, raw material, improvements in the process, packaging – and something very interesting: merchandising the product. It was amazing for them, for all of us actually, the fact of the way they can react and move forward. In some cases they were the owners of the companies, they were the directors, they were the partners and they were the decision makers.

Ralph Loos: The USMEF seminar also helped some companies troubleshoot and solve production problems. Rodriguez said helping increase the capacity of processing operations could ultimately benefit U.S. beef and pork.

Gerardo Rodriguez: Some of them were struggling with some production issues, and they have had to sell products in a ‘stand by’ situation because they have a production issue, and they don’t have the experts to solve their problems. And because they don’t have the capacity to solve the problems, those products have not been able to be launched. I mean this is something we can really measure, the launching of these products due to the fact of what was learned during this trip. This is just one example.

Ralph Loos: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Ralph Loos.