U.S. Beef Gaining Retail Traction in Europe
U.S. Beef Gaining Retail Traction in Europe
While U.S. beef continues to gain popularity in Europe’s restaurants and foodservice outlets, establishing a presence in the retail sector has been more difficult. But that’s beginning to change, as USMEF retail promotions in selected European locations — funded by the USDA’s Market Access Program — have established steady volume growth for U.S. beef sales and attracted attention from competing stores.
U.S. beef is now available in Italy at 15 hypermarket and 10 supermarket locations operated by Carrefour Italia, and at 20 Pelicano supermarkets. It is also available in Luxembourg at one Auchan hypermarket location.
U.S. beef is featured in 25 Carrefour Italia outlets in Italy
“The fact that these stores are now featuring U.S. beef is drawing a lot of attention from their competitors, so hopefully the product is ready to take off at the retail level,” said John Brook, USMEF regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. “It is truly a great development that consumers in Italy and Luxembourg can now buy U.S. beef at retail, and our product is no longer limited to the hotel-restaurant sector.”
U.S. beef gained some degree of duty-free access to the European Union for the first time last year, under an agreement that became effective in August. In the first phase of the agreement, the EU opened a new 20,000 metric ton (44 million pound) quota for high-quality beef at a tariff rate of zero. This is in addition to the existing 11,500 metric ton (25.4 million pound) quota, which carries an in-quota tariff of 20 percent.
“When U.S. beef can enter Europe at a lower cost, the venues in which it can be featured are broadened, and so is the range of consumers we are able to target,” Brook said. “Duty-free access certainly increases our opportunity for success in the retail sector.”
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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.
U.S. Beef Gaining Retail Traction in Europe
While U.S. beef continues to gain popularity in Europe’s restaurants and foodservice outlets, establishing a presence in the retail sector has been more difficult. But that’s beginning to change, as USMEF retail promotions in selected European locations — funded by the USDA’s Market Access Program — have established steady volume growth for U.S. beef sales and attracted attention from competing stores.
U.S. beef is now available in Italy at 15 hypermarket and 10 supermarket locations operated by Carrefour Italia, and at 20 Pelicano supermarkets. It is also available in Luxembourg at one Auchan hypermarket location.
U.S. beef is featured in 25 Carrefour Italia outlets in Italy
“The fact that these stores are now featuring U.S. beef is drawing a lot of attention from their competitors, so hopefully the product is ready to take off at the retail level,” said John Brook, USMEF regional director for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. “It is truly a great development that consumers in Italy and Luxembourg can now buy U.S. beef at retail, and our product is no longer limited to the hotel-restaurant sector.”
U.S. beef gained some degree of duty-free access to the European Union for the first time last year, under an agreement that became effective in August. In the first phase of the agreement, the EU opened a new 20,000 metric ton (44 million pound) quota for high-quality beef at a tariff rate of zero. This is in addition to the existing 11,500 metric ton (25.4 million pound) quota, which carries an in-quota tariff of 20 percent.
“When U.S. beef can enter Europe at a lower cost, the venues in which it can be featured are broadened, and so is the range of consumers we are able to target,” Brook said. “Duty-free access certainly increases our opportunity for success in the retail sector.”
# # #
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.