Audio: U.S. Lamb Promotion Targets United Arab Emirates

October 21, 2013

With a rapidly growing economy and an exceptional high-end dining sector, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) holds excellent potential for U.S. lamb exports. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), in cooperation with the American Lamb Board, is looking to capitalize on this opportunity with a series of chef training workshops in this market’s two largest cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Dan Halstrom, USMEF senior vice president for marketing and communications, explains the objectives behind these training workshops, which will begin in the first quarter of 2014. Halstrom says educating the UAE’s leading chefs and other foodservice staff about the attributes of U.S. lamb is the first step toward expanding its presence on high-end restaurant menus. He adds that the UAE is a very logical target for high-value cuts of U.S. lamb, which lack access to larger markets such as Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

Through July, exports of U.S. lamb (including both muscle cuts and variety meat) totaled 8,177 metric tons valued at $17.7 million, up 12 percent in volume and 21 percent in value from the same period in 2012.

Joe Schuele: In this U.S. Meat Export Federation report, we look at a new initiative to promote U.S. lamb in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dan Halstrom, USMEF Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications has more details.

Dan Halstrom: We are working with the American lamb board, specifically in the Dubai and Abu Dhabi areas, that have a lot of very high end dinning. Be it hotels or just regular restaurant establishments in these two cities, so what we are focused on is putting together workshops designed around education of chefs and wait staff as it relates to U.S. lamb. What are the differences between U.S. lamb, the grain fed lamb, versus Australia for example.

We are working with the staff from some of the most high-end hotels in this region, places like the Crown Plaza, the Intercontinental, the Emirate Tower, and places like this.

Joe Schuele: Halstrom also explained some of the factors that make the UAE such an attractive target for this promotion.

Dan Halstrom: As it relates to the Middle East, it’s the showcase location, you have huge tourism, a huge expatriate population, and GDP growth is very substantial. But it is really a food service market catering to business travelers, and catering to tourists. Price is not really an object there, if you can market the attributes, the higher price that U.S. lamb would require, is not a stumbling block.

Joe Schuele: The UAE also presents a fairly rare high value market opportunity for U.S lamb which lacks access to markets such as; Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Dan Halstrom: The USMEF is working with our colleagues at the American Lamb Board and other parts of the industry, to try to get back into these markets. It is an ongoing focus, but the UAE is open and it is a logical starting point to try to do some activities today.

Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.

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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. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.

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.