With red meat demand among Japanese consumers continuing to gain momentum, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) introduced new and unique U.S. pork and beef dishes at Foodex Japan – Asia’s largest food trade show. USMEF’s efforts at Foodex were funded by the Pork Checkoff, the Beef Checkoff Program, the Texas Beef Council and the USDA Market Access Program.
Greg Hanes, USMEF assistant vice president for international marketing, gives examples of the U.S. pork and beef items showcased at Foodex. Because the U.S. pork industry sees an opportunity to move more loins in the Japanese market, USMEF highlighted a new dish called “pork cheese teji karubi,” (pronounced TAY-JEE KA-ROO-BEE) a Korean-style barbecue dish traditionally made with chicken. USMEF developed the dish using thin-sliced U.S. pork loin.
On the beef side, U.S. thick-cut steaks were highlighted along with gourmet hamburger concepts. Gourmet burgers have become very popular in other Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, and are now gaining traction with Japanese consumers as well.