U.S. Beef Training for Shanghai Processor to Impact Restaurant Sector

Emphasizing the safety and quality of U.S. beef, USMEF led a training workshop for employees of Xiang Shang Xiang, a large-scale processor based in Shanghai that produces meat products for restaurant chains such as Burger King and the Pankoo Group.

A USMEF training in China demonstrated the advantages of U.S. beef as a raw material

Funded by the Texas Beef Council, the trainings provided participants with an overview of U.S. beef production and grading systems and demonstrations of U.S. beef’s quality advantages over competitor products.

The activity came on the heels of announced plans by Xiang Shang Xiang to open a beef processing plant in the Jinshan District of Shanghai. The primary source of raw material for the new plant will come from a U.S. beef exporter, the company noted.

As for the processor’s major clients, Pankoo is one of the largest Korean-style barbecue catering enterprises in China, with 224 locations in Shanghai alone. It is considered a major player in the city’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) sector and plans to open 30 new locations in Shanghai this year.

“As U.S. beef consumption volume grew in 2020, Pankoo started importing U.S. beef and has recently announced that U.S. beef will replace Australian beef in all of its restaurants this year,” said Ming Liang, USMEF marketing director in China. “We organized this training with that announcement in mind, having cutting experts exchange ideas about U.S. beef and the best methods for getting the most out of the product.”

Some of the U.S. beef processed products featured at the training