Pork Industry Leaders Wrap up Busy Week in Japan

Pork Industry Leaders Wrap up Busy Week in Japan

A delegation of pork industry leaders spent the past week in Japan examining market conditions and trade opportunities in the leading value market for U.S. pork. The group included:

• Tim Bierman, Larrabee, Iowa, pork producer and National Pork Board (NPB) president
• Henry Moore, Clinton, N.C., pork producer and NPB member
• Conley Nelson, Algona, Iowa, pork producer and NPB member
• Danita Rodibaugh, Rensselaer, Ind., pork producer and USMEF vice chair
• Chris Novak, Des Moines, Iowa, NPB chief executive officer

The week began in Tokyo with a briefing from Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region. Haggard discussed the economic climate in key Asian markets. The briefing included a focus on China, which recently reopened to U.S. pork after being closed since mid-2009. This was followed by the meeting with FAS Agricultural Minister Counselor Geoffrey Wiggin.

NPB President Tim Bierman visits with three of Japan’s influential food bloggers

The delegation got a flavor for the power of Japan’s “new media” by participating in a USMEF pork recipe session with more than 30 power bloggers. These bloggers are focused on food and culinary trends and are extremely influential with Japanese homemakers.

“It was interesting and very gratifying to meet with so many of the country’s most influential bloggers – many of them young mothers – who are interested in U.S. pork,” said Rodibaugh. “They are focused not only on new recipes and ideas for cooking, but also on what is healthful and nutritious for their families. The ability to connect with them and showcase our product has a very powerful impact here.”

This event was followed by retail visits with major grocery chains Ito Yokado and AEON, where the group observed pork tasting demonstrations conducted by USMEF. They also attended a dinner reception at Tokyo’s Okura Hotel where winning U.S. pork dishes from a recent chefs’ competition were presented.

The delegation also met with other key industry contacts, including pork buyers for major retail and foodservice chains. They toured the country’s largest cold storage facility, which is operated by Nippon Ham, Japan’s largest ham processor and sausage manufacturer and a major importer of U.S. pork. A visit to the annual Japan Meat Industry Fair, held April 7-9 at the Tokyo Big Site, also provided a great opportunity to interact with industry contacts and observe the wide range of vendors who are focused on this fiercely competitive market.

“There is definitely a greater appreciation among Japan’s meat buyers for the quality and consistency of American pork,” said Rodibaugh, who previously visited the market in 2005. “The level of interest and excitement is very high – especially for the new products we’ve introduced here, such as pork back ribs. And that is certainly reflected by our expanded presence in the retail meat case.”

From left: Chris Novak, Tim Bierman, Danita Rodibaugh, Sec. Vilsack, Conley Nelson and Henry Moore at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo

The group also met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was in Japan to observe the 50th anniversary of the Japan Hog Lift, in which Iowa famers helped organize an airlift of 35 hogs and 60,000 bushels of grain to Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, which was devastated by two typhoons in 1959. This gesture helped the region recover and led Iowa and Yamanashi to form the first of many sister-state relationships between the United States and Japan.

On April 7, Bierman, Novak and Rodibaugh met by conference call with about 30 reporters from U.S. ag and business media outlets to offer their observations from the week and address questions about current market conditions and pork marketing activities in Japan.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org)is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.

Pork Industry Leaders Wrap up Busy Week in Japan

A delegation of pork industry leaders spent the past week in Japan examining market conditions and trade opportunities in the leading value market for U.S. pork. The group included:

• Tim Bierman, Larrabee, Iowa, pork producer and National Pork Board (NPB) president
• Henry Moore, Clinton, N.C., pork producer and NPB member
• Conley Nelson, Algona, Iowa, pork producer and NPB member
• Danita Rodibaugh, Rensselaer, Ind., pork producer and USMEF vice chair
• Chris Novak, Des Moines, Iowa, NPB chief executive officer

The week began in Tokyo with a briefing from Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region. Haggard discussed the economic climate in key Asian markets. The briefing included a focus on China, which recently reopened to U.S. pork after being closed since mid-2009. This was followed by the meeting with FAS Agricultural Minister Counselor Geoffrey Wiggin.

NPB President Tim Bierman visits with three of Japan’s influential food bloggers

The delegation got a flavor for the power of Japan’s “new media” by participating in a USMEF pork recipe session with more than 30 power bloggers. These bloggers are focused on food and culinary trends and are extremely influential with Japanese homemakers.

“It was interesting and very gratifying to meet with so many of the country’s most influential bloggers – many of them young mothers – who are interested in U.S. pork,” said Rodibaugh. “They are focused not only on new recipes and ideas for cooking, but also on what is healthful and nutritious for their families. The ability to connect with them and showcase our product has a very powerful impact here.”

This event was followed by retail visits with major grocery chains Ito Yokado and AEON, where the group observed pork tasting demonstrations conducted by USMEF. They also attended a dinner reception at Tokyo’s Okura Hotel where winning U.S. pork dishes from a recent chefs’ competition were presented.

The delegation also met with other key industry contacts, including pork buyers for major retail and foodservice chains. They toured the country’s largest cold storage facility, which is operated by Nippon Ham, Japan’s largest ham processor and sausage manufacturer and a major importer of U.S. pork. A visit to the annual Japan Meat Industry Fair, held April 7-9 at the Tokyo Big Site, also provided a great opportunity to interact with industry contacts and observe the wide range of vendors who are focused on this fiercely competitive market.

“There is definitely a greater appreciation among Japan’s meat buyers for the quality and consistency of American pork,” said Rodibaugh, who previously visited the market in 2005. “The level of interest and excitement is very high – especially for the new products we’ve introduced here, such as pork back ribs. And that is certainly reflected by our expanded presence in the retail meat case.”

From left: Chris Novak, Tim Bierman, Danita Rodibaugh, Sec. Vilsack, Conley Nelson and Henry Moore at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo

The group also met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was in Japan to observe the 50th anniversary of the Japan Hog Lift, in which Iowa famers helped organize an airlift of 35 hogs and 60,000 bushels of grain to Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, which was devastated by two typhoons in 1959. This gesture helped the region recover and led Iowa and Yamanashi to form the first of many sister-state relationships between the United States and Japan.

On April 7, Bierman, Novak and Rodibaugh met by conference call with about 30 reporters from U.S. ag and business media outlets to offer their observations from the week and address questions about current market conditions and pork marketing activities in Japan.

###

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org)is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.

USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.