Food & Hotel Indonesia 2011 Draws Largest Crowd Ever
Published: May 09, 2011
The U.S. meat industry’s fastest-growing ASEAN market was the setting for Food & Hotel Indonesia 2011, held at the International Expo Kemayoran in Jakarta. With its best attendance in its 11th year, it became the largest food and beverage show in Indonesia’s history. It was held in conjunction with Retail Indonesia 2011, an exhibition of retail technology, display and storage equipment.
With support from the Beef Checkoff, Pork Checkoff and USDA Market Access Program (MAP), USMEF has been a regular participant in this biennial show because it is an excellent platform to create greater awareness for U.S. products in a rapidly expanding market. Last year U.S. beef exports (including variety meat) to Indonesia more than tripled in volume to 13,273 metric tons (29.3 million pounds) and quadrupled in value to $25.2 million. In the first two months of 2011, beef exports are running about double last year’s pace.
Because of its large Muslim population, opportunities for U.S. pork are far more limited in Indonesia – through February 2011, the U.S. had exported about $70,000 worth. However, the population is becoming more diverse in Indonesia’s major metropolitan areas, and Food & Hotel Indonesia attracted buyers from neighboring countries such as Australia, the Philippines and Singapore, which are significant importers of U.S. pork. Last year, the ASEAN and Oceania regions combined to purchase more than $300 million in U.S. pork.
More than 20,000 visitors attended the four-day event, which attracted nearly 1,000 exhibitors from 39 countries across the world. U.S. beef cuts showcased included Prime and Choice ribeyes, tenderloins, short ribs and rib fingers. Pork items included tenderloin, sirloin, back ribs and a wide variety of sausages and processed products.
Partnering with the U.S. Potato Board, USMEF sponsored the U.S. Beef and U.S. Frozen Potato Challenge – one of several culinary competitions at the show. The competition challenged 20 young chefs from various hotels and restaurants in Indonesia to come up with the best U.S. beef and potato dish in one hour. The featured cut was the hanging tender - versatile and especially well-suited for marinating and cooking quickly. Prior to this competition, USMEF-ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin conducted a technical briefing session for the participants so that they could better grasp the positive attributes and menu options offered by the hanging tender. Three winning chefs were crowned and invited to the USMEF culinary training session in Singapore next month.
Because of its large Muslim population, opportunities for U.S. pork are far more limited in Indonesia – through February 2011, the U.S. had exported about $70,000 worth. However, the population is becoming more diverse in Indonesia’s major metropolitan areas, and Food & Hotel Indonesia attracted buyers from neighboring countries such as Australia, the Philippines and Singapore, which are significant importers of U.S. pork. Last year, the ASEAN and Oceania regions combined to purchase more than $300 million in U.S. pork.
More than 20,000 visitors attended the four-day event, which attracted nearly 1,000 exhibitors from 39 countries across the world. U.S. beef cuts showcased included Prime and Choice ribeyes, tenderloins, short ribs and rib fingers. Pork items included tenderloin, sirloin, back ribs and a wide variety of sausages and processed products.
Partnering with the U.S. Potato Board, USMEF sponsored the U.S. Beef and U.S. Frozen Potato Challenge – one of several culinary competitions at the show. The competition challenged 20 young chefs from various hotels and restaurants in Indonesia to come up with the best U.S. beef and potato dish in one hour. The featured cut was the hanging tender - versatile and especially well-suited for marinating and cooking quickly. Prior to this competition, USMEF-ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin conducted a technical briefing session for the participants so that they could better grasp the positive attributes and menu options offered by the hanging tender. Three winning chefs were crowned and invited to the USMEF culinary training session in Singapore next month.
“This competition provided a platform for U.S. beef to be featured in an array of traditional Indonesian dishes, but with creative touches that allowed the region’s best young chefs to put their signature on each entry,” said Yin. “The event provided an excellent opportunity for U.S. beef to be featured in a world class cooking competition and to reach out to the next generation of loyal U.S. meat users.”