FOREIGN MARKETING
The U.S. is the world’s top beef supplier, with nearly 10 percent of U.S. beef production being exported. Beef checkoff dollars help American beef producers promote their product to the growing world market. With support from producers through their beef checkoff in early 2002, for example, the U.S. Meat Export Federation launched a consumer-directed campaign aimed at helping Japanese housewives understand that U.S. beef is safe and encouraging them to make it a part of their family’s diet. The overriding goal of this focused marketing campaign is to raise consumption of U.S. beef and beef variety meats in Japan back to year 2000 levels by 2003.
Each foreign market or country has its unique characteristics and, as a result, some programs are developed for a specific market. Successful examples of these programs include, the Chef Contest in the Caribbean and the Gourmet Club and "Mega-ball" programs in Taiwan. USMEF may investigate the possibility of introducing some of these successful programs in other appropriate markets to help sell more U.S. beef overseas. Among other checkoff-funded activities, USMEF also has been developing and updating a database called Veritas, which can be a very useful sales tool in foreign markets.
For more information about checkoff programs contracted through the U.S. Meat Export Federation, visit the USMEF Web site at www.usmef.org.