Ham, sausage, bacon and salami are favorites among Taiwan consumers and the U...

Ham, sausage, bacon and salami are favorites among Taiwan consumers and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), in conjunction with Costco stores in Taiwan, are making sure consumers get a chance to satisfy their cravings with samples of U.S. pork.

"Taiwan is a very competitive market for U.S. pork. With more than a 90 percent self-sufficiency rate in pork and pork variety meats, the task of introducing American pork products to Taiwan has been a constant challenge,” said Cleo Fu, USMEF marketing assistant manager in Taiwan.

To compete with domestic products, USMEF has approached marketing U.S. pork by consistently working to establish consumer awareness, confidence and brand recognition through various in-store promotions, advertising materials and activities.

The latest USMEF promotion of U.S. pork is taking place at three Costco stores in Taiwan and is focusing on the quality of U.S processed pork products. U.S. pork logos are posted throughout stores, samplings are taking place and stickers and recipes cards are being attached to all packages of U.S. pork products.

“By supporting retail stores and pork importers with promotion activities and point-of-sale materials, the U.S. pork image can be widely introduced to shoppers, hence to increase awareness and recognition of U.S. pork products,” said Fu.

USMEF has chosen Costco for its latest U.S. pork promotional efforts because the stores have a highly-respected image and reputation among consumers. The stores’ previous success with USMEF promotions and consumer excitement were also incentives to continue with new promotions.  

"Costco is the largest U.S. processed pork importer and is increasing the variety and availability of U.S. processed pork products in its four stores in Taiwan. The in-store promotions sponsored by USMEF are a great support for Costco and directly boosts the sales of these American pork products in our stores,” said Emma Huang, a meat buyer for Costco in Taiwan.

In addition to on-site promotional efforts, USMEF has be spending a lot of time with importers in Taiwan ensuring that U.S. pork is clearly branded, labeled and recognizable to consumers who are looking to purchase the product on the shelf.

"Branding is a must in agricultural products in the future,” said Nicole Chen, product manager of Black Bridge Foods, a well-known Chinese sausage producer in Taiwan. “We have devoted ourselves to promoting brands and the rewards have been high. The long-term support provided by USMEF has helped us in opening new opportunities for U.S. pork products.”

USMEF has discovered in-store tasting promotions to be very successful, usually doubling the sales for stores, building quick, direct brand awareness among consumers.

During the next few months, USMEF plans to continue in-store promotions with Costco while strategically looking at other retail stores and opportunities to promote U.S. pork to consumers in Taiwan.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation 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, lamb, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

– USMEF –