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Cultural food fusion trends opportunity to increase demand

A U.S. Meat Export Federation market representative says the organization is leaning into culinary flavors to help grow demand for U.S. beef and pork.

Gerardo Rodriguez says cultural food fusion trends have been a huge success. “The Asian gastronomy, they eat ramen, for example,” he says.  “Then, in Mexico, we use the pork jowl in the case for doing the teacher run. So, we put them together, and we developed this product that is teacher-run with drama, and we chicha-ramen.”

He tells Brownfield that Mexico is becoming more than just a ham market. “How can we sell value-added pork protein in the convenience stores,” he says.  “How can we make it easier for people to buy protein?”

Rodriguez says USMEF is also diversifying the country’s demand for beef cuts. “Mexico is big in the consumption of fajitas and the skirts in the price interests of them,” he says. “And how can we make it coming from the ground? Is this possible? Well, that is precisely the kind of products that we are developing in the market.”

Mexico is currently the top market for U.S. pork, and in September was the leading volume market for U.S. beef.

AUDIO: Gerardo Rodriguez, U.S. Meat Export Federation