Two out of three Mexican consumers still buy meat for family meals at traditi...

Two out of three Mexican consumers still buy meat for family meals at traditional wet markets or from street vendors. But the trend, especially in population centers such as Mexico City, is toward “full-service” supermarkets with modern meat departments where cold chain management, good sanitation and high levels of customer service are the norm.

Well, almost.

While it’s true that more and more Mexican consumers are heading for the supermarket to take advantage of competitive prices, greater selection and a more comfortable shopping experience, they don’t always find a clean, modern meat department. This is a goal of supermarket management and this goal is being achieved with the help of two U.S. Meat Export Federation retail programs in Mexico.

The first program is known as the Butcher Certification Program (BCP). BCP was launched three years ago in collaboration with the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Studies (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, or “Tec”). The aim is to dignify the trade, to sharpen hygiene and handling skills and improve customer service, while reinforcing U. S. meat as high quality, safe and nutritious.

USMEF-Mexico chose to work with Tec because it is a leading private educational institution in Latin America and is one of two Mexican institutions recognized by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Founded in 1943 to train future managers and engineers, today Tec has a network of 33 campuses throughout Mexico with more than 90,000 students in 34 bachelor, 67 master or 10 doctoral degree programs that are offered on-site, online and via satellite.

The BCP is open to butchers, butcher assistants, meat department managers and their assistants, and regional supervisors of any chain. The BCP consists of two stages: first, up to 20 supervisors attend a 15-hour introductory course to go over the topics covered and how to train their personnel who aim to earn the accreditation. Second, after successfully passing the exams, the supervisors train the interested individuals with the aid of print and multimedia (compact disc) educational materials. Topics include beef and pork genetics, carcass and cuts, food safety and hygiene, temperature, meat case presentation, customer service, trading, equipment and utensils, inventory, human resources and communications.

To earn the certification, candidates must first pass both a written examination and a practical exam. So far, 780 individuals have taken the exam, but only 325 have earned a diploma and the coveted silver badge of accreditation, which serves as an emblem of pride and an example for others to follow.

Currently, USMEF-Mexico is working with regional retailers such as VH and Futurama in northern Mexico and San Francisco in southern Mexico, as well as with nationwide players such as Gigante, Comercial Mexicana and Chedraui, in training their employees through BCP. USMEF-Mexico is also working out operational details with Wal-Mart to offer the BCP to its meat personnel.

Indirectly, and just as importantly, the BCP also builds goodwill among key players in the trade: butchers and managers, who show receptiveness to in-store tasting or other promotions of U.S. meat.

Helping Mexican retailers improve meat counter service standards, however, goes beyond the campus for USMEF. Through a friendly inter-store competition called the “Mystery Shopper” program, meat department managers and their employees work to maintain high standards of sanitation and customer service – while promoting U.S. meat. In addition to the recognition that comes with being the best, winners earn opportunities to participate in trade teams to learn more about the U.S. meat and retail industries, which provides a real incentive to excel.

More importantly, the contest drives sales. According to Mexico City Chedrahui store manager Javier La Rea: “My meat department looks better, my customers are happier and more likely to come back, and my employees are enthusiastic. The best part is that my meat sales are up 25-30 percent compared to the same time last year. Everybody benefits.”

The Mystery Shopper program works like this: on a random basis over a period of six months, “mystery shoppers” – who look and act like any other customer– rate the store on a number of attributes, including sanitation, display, customer service and U.S. meat promotion. Shortly after the mystery shopper visit, a USMEF supervisor visits the meat department manager to let him or her know how the department is doing and how it might improve its scores. The goal is to score higher and higher points as the program progresses. The meat department at La Rea’s store, for example, scored in the 40s (on a 100-point scale) at the beginning of the program, but was in the high 80s after just five months.

In 2002, Mexico became the No. 1 destination on a volume basis for exports of U.S. beef and beef variety meat overtaking Japan. U.S. beef exports to Mexico broke the record for the sixth successive year. The United States exported 349,900 metric tons (mt) of beef and beef variety meat to Mexico, 12 percent more than in 2001, at a value of $854 million, 10 percent higher than the previous year. Mexico was the second biggest market for U.S. pork exports, at 217,909 mt of pork and pork variety meat, a 7 percent increase, valued at more than $252 million. In addition, Mexico was the largest market for U.S. lamb (including variety meat) exports at 4,184 mt, valued at $4.8 million.

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 –

Photo 1 - Consumers in Mexico City are moving away from traditional markets and shopping more in modern stores like this Chedrahui store where USMEF-sponsored “Mystery Shopper” program has helped boost sales while promoting U.S. meat products.

Photo 2 - Butchers are becoming more professional and more respected by successfully completing the USMEF-sponsored Butcher Certification Program at Mexico’s Monterrey Tec. At graduation ceremonies such as this in Mexico City, qualifying butchers receive diplomas and the coveted “silver badge.”