U.S. Beef Liver Promoted as Great Source of Iron in Peru

Promoting the advantages of U.S. beef liver, USMEF launched a campaign in Lima, Peru, to create awareness of the medical community’s evidence that beef liver helps combat anemia. Funded by the Beef Checkoff Program and the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP), the project included medical students greeting consumers in Lima butcher shops and supermarkets to share information about healthy eating habits and the role beef liver plays in increasing intake of iron.

A Peruvian medical student enlisted by USMEF shares information about the health benefits of U.S. beef liver

USMEF is a subcontractor of the Beef Checkoff. The USDA Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) added ATP funding to extend the project through September (it was originally scheduled to run from March through July).

Jessica Julca, USMEF representative in South America, said motivation for the campaign came as a result of a report by the Peruvian Health Ministry (PHM) that revealed anemia cases in Peru have risen in recent years due to iron deficiency in diets, which is tied to an overall lack of animal protein consumption. According to that report, Peru’s national anemia rate in children is 47%. In 2018, PHM launched “Amor de Hierro,” a nationwide campaign to prevent anemia. The effort targeted women and children with a goal of reducing the anemia rate in children to 20% by 2021.

Shoppers at a supermarket in Lima learn about U.S. beef liver and its positive affects against anemia

“After learning about the Amor de Hierro campaign, we met twice with PHM to offer support to help them reach a larger audience,” explained Julca. “Although a partnership never developed due to political changes and delays, we learned a lot from PHM and developed our own efforts that help explain the advantages of U.S. beef liver.”

Posters and materials tout U.S. beef liver as a great source of iron for consumers in Peru

USMEF created posters and other materials using the phrase, “#hierrocontralaanemia,” which means “iron against anemia.” USMEF staff coordinated with importers of U.S. beef and selected the most suitable retail outlets, visiting each location to set up attractive displays and ensure that U.S. beef liver was available.

The promotion included five clients of Arisa Trading, a distributor that deals mostly with wet markets in Lima. Arisa experienced a 23% increase in U.S. beef liver sales during the promotion. Grupesac, a retailer with two outlets where U.S. beef liver accounts for 60% of total sales, saw a 22% increase. HP Carnes, a trading company that imports U.S. beef variety meats, including livers, had a 16% increase, while the Makro retail chain – the company has seven locations in Lima – also reported a bump in sales due to the USMEF activity.

“Along with the educational aspects, we shared ideas about how to prepare beef liver and offered recipe ideas, things that were appreciated by retailers and consumers,” said Julca. “We involved key importers who usually don’t participate in our marketing programs and the project was successful and had a significant impact on liver consumption.”

Peru was the third-largest destination for the U.S. beef livers from January through August of this year, behind Egypt and South Africa. Peru's imports during the period were 2,951 mt, up 31% year-over-year, while value increased 18% to $2.6 million. Through August, Peru took 5% of total U.S. beef liver exports while Egypt took 67% and South Africa 7.5%.

So far this year, Peru was the ninth-largest market for U.S. beef variety meat, with livers as the top item.