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U.S. meat exports have strong reputation in Latin America

U.S. meat exports have a strong reputation in Latin America.

Minnesota pig farmer John Schwartz is in the Dominican Republic this week for the annual U.S. Meat Export Federation Latin American Product Showcase and tells Brownfield interactions with foreign buyers have been positive.

“One really interesting point was that one buyer from El Salvador said that in his country seeing a USDA-Inspected label is almost like a brand name of quality that improves the value of that product.”

He says the Showcase is valuable for producers like him and the nearly 150 meat buyers from 18 countries throughout Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

“I asked (about) a dozen vendors what they thought of this trade show as far as the opportunities, and they’re all very excited about the future growth and popularity of our product in Latin America.  So all-in-all, it has been a very positive experience.”

U.S. meat exports to Latin America reached record levels in 2017, and are pacing even higher through the first six months of this year.