“We conduct training programs for Sam’s Club personnel that focus on the handling, packaging, merchandising and promotion of chilled and frozen U.S. product,” said USMEF China Director Polly Zhao. “Seeing is understanding, so we brought purchasing managers from Sam’s Club outlets in China to Korea. This allowed them to see new applications and the innovative ways that Korean retailers are marketing and selling U.S. beef and pork.”

USMEF kicked off the team’s two-day visit with a market briefing in USMEF’s Korea office. Vice President of Asia Pacific Jihae Yang, Korea Director Junil Park and Senior Marketing Manager Alex Choi explained the distribution and retail structure of the Korean market. They also pointed out similarities with the Chinese market and highlighted key differences. The USMEF team also discussed innovations in the home meal replacement category and how U.S. pork and beef are utilized in these products.

USMEF then escorted the team on a tour of four retail outlets to demonstrate packaging and merchandising techniques for U.S. beef and pork and their inclusion in home meal replacement products. At each retail outlet, Yang led discussions with department managers about product development, trends in home meal replacement products and promotional tools for U.S. beef and pork. 

USMEF also took the team to Seoul Food, one of Asia’s largest food trade shows. At USMEF’s booth, Yang introduced additional merchandising ideas for beef, pork and home meal replacement products. USMEF also led the team to an exhibition hall at the show to explore packaging and processing machinery for home meal replacement products.

“The team was very interested in the chilled beef supply chain and shelf-life management in Korea,” said Zhao. “The team agreed that packaging in Korea is more advanced than in China and asked many questions about packaging materials and processes.”

Funding support was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board.

Source: U.S. Meat Export Federation