Written by Iain Hoey
AHDB’s virtual workshop, ‘Quality Meat from Britain’, has been hailed as a success by AHDB’s Export Manager and event organiser Susana Morris, after it resulted in a number of potential new business opportunities for both beef and pork exporters in the UK.
American meat importers gained insight into the UK’s beef and pork sectors last week during AHDB’s workshop, where topics included everything from the UK’s high animal welfare standards to how best to cook cuts of meat, during the first in a series of digital events targeting the US foodservice market.
Major influencers from California heard from a panel of industry experts, farmers and butchers about the high quality of meat from the UK in a bid to create opportunities for exporters to this all-important market.
The US is currently a target market for AHDB exports, with pork shipments up in value by 76 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 to £3.8 million compared to the same period last year.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the success of this, our first in a series of digital events targeting the US foodservice market,” said Miss Morris. “There was good engagement and a great deal of interest in our meat from our American attendees, who were given the chance to learn more about our practices and production processes here in the UK.”
Among those taking part in the event was outdoor pig producer Simon Watchorn who highlighted the industry’s moves to reduce antibiotic usage.
Attendees also watched a butchery demonstration from AHDB’s Martin Eccles and cooking demonstrations by sous chef Luke Rhodes, who made it through the final eight of last year’s MasterChef: The Professionals, as well as award-winning Stoke Park chef Chris Wheeler.
The event, which was moderated by AHDB’s Lisa Bray, also provided an opportunity for attendees to put questions to the panel which covered everything from marketing products overseas to animal welfare standards.
Miss Morris added: “The US is a major potential market for our high-end red meat exports and these digital events are key to ensuring we have the right connections with key influencers and build on our impressive export figures over the last year.”
The second in the series of US-focused online events will take place in June and will target Illinois, followed by a Florida session in September and a Texas-focused event in November
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