More than 130 red meat buyers from 21 countries across Central and South America and the Caribbean gathered in San Jose, Costa Rica, for the 10th anniversary edition of the U.S. Meat Export Federation Latin American Product Showcase. Fifty-five U.S. exporting companies exhibited at the event, which was held annually from 2011-2019 before the COVID pandemic forced a postponement in 2020.
Pork and beef producers who provide financial support for the showcase also participated, and provide their thoughts on the event in the attached audio report. This year’s showcase received funding from the USDA Market Access Program, the Beef Checkoff Program, the National Pork Board, the United Soybean Board, the Nebraska Beef Council and the Texas Beef Council.
For Jared Brackett, a rancher from Filer, Idaho, and past chairman of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, the showcase and its related events provided strong validation of the checkoff investments producers dedicate to international marketing.
While Latin America has been a reliable destination for U.S. pork raw material for further processing, the region’s rapidly growing appetite for pork cuts and value-added products made a strong impression on Bob Ruth, a National Pork Board director from Harrisburg, Pa.
A U.S. industry delegation also made retail visits to the meat departments of a San Jose Walmart and Auto Mercado, a family-owned supermarket chain that offers a wide range of U.S. red meat cuts. Ivan Rush, a cattle producer from Scottsbluff, Neb., and a member of the Nebraska Beef Council, shares his thoughts about the retail tour.
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