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USMEF ‘Roadshow’ highlights U.S. beef in China

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) just completed its “U.S. Beef Roadshow” in China, highlighting U.S. beef in the country’s three largest cities.

Among those attending the Roadshow event in Shanghai was Peter Cho, who works for Topping Cuisine, a major beef importer in China.

“We see the market has started moving,” Cho says. “So we have major accounts, like the most famous steakhouse in Shanghai, Morton’s—and Park Hyatt and others—they are committed to putting U.S. steaks on the menu already.

“Of course, we understand that there might be some learning curve from the stateside and from our side on how to match requirements here,” Cho says. “But we feel confident, over time, the market will accept more and more U.S. beef.”

Evan Wang, who represents U.S.-based meat exporter PMI Foods in the region, says the interest is high.

“One of the questions we have been hearing from the customers in China is, where can they get U.S. beef and where can they get consistent supply,” Wang says. “So that’s why we’re here, to explain how much volume, the process, and the grading system of the quality of U.S. beef.”

The U.S. Beef Roadshow was organized by USMEF in cooperation with the USDA Foreign Ag Service and with funding support from the Nebraska Beef Council.