USMEF, USDA Celebrate Return Of U.S. Bone-In Beef To Philippines
ASEAN
USMEF, USDA Celebrate Return Of U.S. Bone-In Beef To Philippines
USMEF and the USDA, supported by funding from the Iowa Beef Industry Council, celebrated the return of bone-in U.S. beef to the Philippines on Friday (Feb. 1), with a dinner for dozens of journalists from all of the many Philippines’ lifestyle newspapers and magazines. The dinner highlighted the renewed commercial availability of bone-in U.S. beef cuts in a number of Philippine outlets, including El Cirkulo, where last Friday’s dinner took place. Journalists enjoyed garlic salt-encrusted U.S. prime rib, apple-wood smoke-roasted U.S. prime rib and U.S. short ribs braised in red wine and an orange sauce. Keynote speaker Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission in the Philippines Paul Jones highlighted the bilateral agricultural trading relationship and the similarities in the food cultures of the United States and the Philippines.
U.S. Meat Export Federation Acting ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin sees “great new interest” in U.S. bone-in cuts in the Philippines, led by a surge in openings of new up-market steakhouses, such as El Cirkulo, and a growing number of Korean barbecue houses. Yin notes that U.S. prime rib was a beef quality image icon in the Philippines prior to the late-2003 beef ban. El Cirkulo’s U.S.-trained executive chef Jay Gamboa features a 1,200 gram U.S. T-bone on the menu of his popular Makati outlet, an offering that he says sums up the newfound joy of dining out that is now pervasive in Manila. Small shipments of air-freighted U.S. bone-in cuts have been available in the Philippines since late December, but larger commercial sea shipments are just now hitting Philippine ports.
Journalists line up for U.S. bone-in beef dishes
The new steakhouse culture and increased meat consumption overall are also a reflection of a strong economy. Last week, government officials released economic data showing that the Philippines’ 7.3 percent economic growth last year was the highest in 30 years. Total Philippine beef imports in 2007 most likely reached record levels although complete data are not available. Meat processors, however, are now facing higher raw material costs. Prices for Indian buffalo, a favorite of processors, have punched through the $2,000 per metric ton level, nearly double the levels of a year ago, and the prices of Brazilian beef trimmings exceed those from Australia, a first in recent years. Brazilian beef supply to the Philippines has been sporadic in recent weeks as processors in the South American nation awaited news about the eligibility of products to the EU, its largest market.
USMEF’s roll-out of U.S. bone-in beef will continue through the early spring. A larger reception featuring U.S. bone-in beef for the trade and foodservice industry will be held February 21 in Manila, coinciding with the visit of a meat trade mission to Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan, organized by the Iowa Department of Economic Development (Feb. 18-27, 2008). The Iowa Beef Industry Council will help support the reception. The meat trade mission will also meet with importers, processors and retail outlets.
Upcoming USMEF chef seminars will focus on the range of bone-in beef cuts, and a seminar for Cebu’s foodservice industry will take place in late March. USMEF also plans to promote other processed beef items such as premium ground beef and beef sausages.
Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award
Thank you to those who have contacted USMEF regarding our plans to establish the Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award. As we noted in a recent communication, after the untimely passing of Eric in December, USMEF is taking steps to establish an annual award which will honor Eric’s tireless advocacy for training and education to help spread global appreciation of the quality and value of U.S. meat products.
To that end, we are establishing the Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award to be given to a researcher who recently completed original and valuable research that will advance the mission of USMEF and the international meat trade. That may include international food marketing research that helps us better target our resources, technical research that provides new information related to meat science and technology, food safety or animal health, or other areas that will support our efforts.
All funds we receive will be dedicated to this award. A team from USMEF and other industry experts will review research abstracts that we will solicit annually. The first award will be announced in the fall of 2008 and presented in the spring of 2009.
If you have questions about the award or the process, please contact Ms. Chris Knox, executive assistant to USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng, at cknox@usmef.org or (303) 226-7313, or Senior Vice President, Export Services Paul Clayton at pclayton@usmef.org or 303-226-7331.
ASEAN
USMEF, USDA Celebrate Return Of U.S. Bone-In Beef To Philippines
USMEF and the USDA, supported by funding from the Iowa Beef Industry Council, celebrated the return of bone-in U.S. beef to the Philippines on Friday (Feb. 1), with a dinner for dozens of journalists from all of the many Philippines’ lifestyle newspapers and magazines. The dinner highlighted the renewed commercial availability of bone-in U.S. beef cuts in a number of Philippine outlets, including El Cirkulo, where last Friday’s dinner took place. Journalists enjoyed garlic salt-encrusted U.S. prime rib, apple-wood smoke-roasted U.S. prime rib and U.S. short ribs braised in red wine and an orange sauce. Keynote speaker Deputy Chief of the U.S. Mission in the Philippines Paul Jones highlighted the bilateral agricultural trading relationship and the similarities in the food cultures of the United States and the Philippines.
U.S. Meat Export Federation Acting ASEAN Director Sabrina Yin sees “great new interest” in U.S. bone-in cuts in the Philippines, led by a surge in openings of new up-market steakhouses, such as El Cirkulo, and a growing number of Korean barbecue houses. Yin notes that U.S. prime rib was a beef quality image icon in the Philippines prior to the late-2003 beef ban. El Cirkulo’s U.S.-trained executive chef Jay Gamboa features a 1,200 gram U.S. T-bone on the menu of his popular Makati outlet, an offering that he says sums up the newfound joy of dining out that is now pervasive in Manila. Small shipments of air-freighted U.S. bone-in cuts have been available in the Philippines since late December, but larger commercial sea shipments are just now hitting Philippine ports.
Journalists line up for U.S. bone-in beef dishes
The new steakhouse culture and increased meat consumption overall are also a reflection of a strong economy. Last week, government officials released economic data showing that the Philippines’ 7.3 percent economic growth last year was the highest in 30 years. Total Philippine beef imports in 2007 most likely reached record levels although complete data are not available. Meat processors, however, are now facing higher raw material costs. Prices for Indian buffalo, a favorite of processors, have punched through the $2,000 per metric ton level, nearly double the levels of a year ago, and the prices of Brazilian beef trimmings exceed those from Australia, a first in recent years. Brazilian beef supply to the Philippines has been sporadic in recent weeks as processors in the South American nation awaited news about the eligibility of products to the EU, its largest market.
USMEF’s roll-out of U.S. bone-in beef will continue through the early spring. A larger reception featuring U.S. bone-in beef for the trade and foodservice industry will be held February 21 in Manila, coinciding with the visit of a meat trade mission to Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan, organized by the Iowa Department of Economic Development (Feb. 18-27, 2008). The Iowa Beef Industry Council will help support the reception. The meat trade mission will also meet with importers, processors and retail outlets.
Upcoming USMEF chef seminars will focus on the range of bone-in beef cuts, and a seminar for Cebu’s foodservice industry will take place in late March. USMEF also plans to promote other processed beef items such as premium ground beef and beef sausages.
Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award
Thank you to those who have contacted USMEF regarding our plans to establish the Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award. As we noted in a recent communication, after the untimely passing of Eric in December, USMEF is taking steps to establish an annual award which will honor Eric’s tireless advocacy for training and education to help spread global appreciation of the quality and value of U.S. meat products.
To that end, we are establishing the Eric Choon/USMEF International Research Award to be given to a researcher who recently completed original and valuable research that will advance the mission of USMEF and the international meat trade. That may include international food marketing research that helps us better target our resources, technical research that provides new information related to meat science and technology, food safety or animal health, or other areas that will support our efforts.
All funds we receive will be dedicated to this award. A team from USMEF and other industry experts will review research abstracts that we will solicit annually. The first award will be announced in the fall of 2008 and presented in the spring of 2009.
If you have questions about the award or the process, please contact Ms. Chris Knox, executive assistant to USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng, at cknox@usmef.org or (303) 226-7313, or Senior Vice President, Export Services Paul Clayton at pclayton@usmef.org or 303-226-7331.