In what must be the largest ever promotion of a beef variety meat or offal, t...

In what must be the largest ever promotion of a beef variety meat or offal, the U.S. Meat Export Federation  is launching a U.S. beef liver promotion in more than 500 outlets across eight of Russia’s time zones.

By working closely with Russian distributors, USMEF’s beef liver promotion will be held across the country: From the small enclave of Kaliningrad and the old Imperial Russian capital of St. Petersburg on the Baltic coast, to the Arctic port cities of Murmansk and Archangelsk in the north; from the Russian capital of Moscow to the cities of central Russia and Siberia in Russia’s vast heartland, to the home port of Russia’s pacific fleet, Vladivostok, barely two hours from Japan, China and South Korea.

By using a mix of point-of-sale (POS) materials funded through the beef checkoff, USMEF is highlighting the versatility, great taste and healthy nature of U.S. beef livers. Russian consumers will be introduced to a selection of four innovative recipes – Alexandrian Liver, Liver and Bacon, Mexican Liver and Alpine Liver – devised to encourage U.S. liver purchases.

U.S. beef liver is a staple protein item for many Russian consumers and U.S. shipments rebounded after the financial crisis that hit the country in 1998. In 2001 U.S. exports of beef liver to the Former Soviet Union totaled 51,096.3 metric tons valued at $35.2 million. For the first three months of 2002, U.S. beef liver shipments total 16,198.3 metric tons worth $12.5 million. Because beef liver is not favored by most American consumers, U.S. beef liver exports to Russia and other markets such as Egypt and Indonesia are an important factor in producers’ bottom lines. Russia is a major destination for U.S. beef variety meats, but most variety meat exports to Russia consist of beef livers and hearts. Russia also imports U.S. beef trimmings, short plate and some chuck items mostly for the processing sector. A market for high quality cuts exists in the upper-tier hotel, restaurant and institutional (HRI) sector.

In 2001, according to revised USDA statistics, total U.S. beef  exports worldwide declined in volume by .4 percent to 1.274 million metric tons, while value declined by 5.7 percent to $ 3.406 billion. Higher U.S. beef prices and a strong U.S. dollar helped push export volumes slightly lower for the first time in more than 10 years. Exports now account for nearly 13.4 percent of U.S. beef production on a wholesale weight basis.

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, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

– USMEF –