They are a staple of our time-constrained American lives: quick and appetizin...
They are a staple of our time-constrained American lives: quick and appetizing meals made from U.S. deli meats.
Although the Caribbean pace of life is more relaxed, Caribbean consumers still value convenient and flavorful meat. So to better promote U.S. deli meats in this region, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) hosted a series of seminars in October and November 2002 with two other prominent U.S. industry trade promotion organizations: U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and U.S. Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC).
The joint seminars provided valuable lessons to Caribbean retailers regarding supermarket deli meat food safety, case displays and sales methods to increase demand for U.S. deli meats. The seminars also succeeded as small-scale trade shows that aided U.S. meat exporters in creating new business relationships and sales accounts.
The seminars were held at local supermarkets in four Caribbean locations: Nassau, Trinidad, Aruba and St. Maarten (which is the Dutch half of the island; St. Martin is the spelling for the French half). Representatives from USDEC, USAPEEC, USMEF and several U.S. exporters met with local importers and retailers to provide lectures and present hands-on lab demonstrations about deli meat safety and profitability.
“According to the U.S. exporter representatives who attended, the seminars were very successful in fostering new accounts and exposing new product to the Caribbean buyers,” said USMEF Caribbean Consultant Liz Wunderlich. “A couple of U.S. wholesalers opened two new supermarket accounts and one new distributor account as a direct result of participating in our trade shows.”
In St. Maarten, the deli seminars forged multinational retail and importer accounts for several U.S. exporters.
“The participating U.S. companies informed me our seminars definitely increased the presence for U.S. deli meat sales on the island’s French side,” added Wunderlich. “The Dutch side became more multinational, with U.S. processed pork deli products competing more strongly against European and other pork products.”
Coordination between the three U.S. trade organizations was very effective in jointly promoting complimentary U.S. meat, poultry and cheese deli products to the Caribbean retailers and importers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports overall U.S. beef (including variety meat) exports to the Caribbean during the first nine months of this year were down eight percent from the same period in 2001, and U.S. pork (including variety meat) exports were down 11 percent. U.S. beef exports were 7,758 metric tons (mt) for January to September 2002 versus 8,436 mt for the same months in 2001, and pork export quantities were 5,136 mt for January to September 2002 versus 5,794 mt for the same months in 2001. Most of this sales decline is attributable to the current decrease in Caribbean tourism; several hotels in the Grand Caymans reported only 20 to 30 percent occupancy rates during portions of September and October 2002, according to Wunderlich.
But despite the overall decline in U.S. meat imports so far this year, certain Caribbean markets have significantly increased their U.S. beef and pork purchases. USDA reports that U.S. beef (including variety meat) exports to the Dominican Republic from January to September 2002 were up 35 percent by volume (1,081 mt versus 798 mt for the first nine months of 2001). Similarly, U.S. pork (including variety meat) exports to the Dominican Republic for January to September 2002 increased 59 percent by volume, and exports to Haiti increased 75 percent. U.S. exports to the Dominican Republic for January to September 2002 were 2,436 mt versus 1,534 mt for the first nine months of 2001. U.S. pork (including variety meat) exports to Haiti during January to September 2002 were 2,427 mt versus 1,388 mt during January to September 2001.
Now that convenient U.S. deli meats are more available to the Caribbean, has this American influence hurried their relaxed pace of life? Their answer: no problem, mon!
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 --