The 5 percent tariff that is being applied to U.S. pork imports today is not expected to stop the import of meat into Mexico, according to reports. The tariff is in retaliation for the U.S. refusal to allow Mexican trucks into the country beyond a 26-mile zone.

Reuters reports that 20 percent of U.S. pork imports went to Mexico, and it is unlikely that the country could replace it with other sources at competitive shipping rates. As a result, analysts expect a quick resolution of the trade dispute, with the tariff removed, or else they say Mexico will keep buying U.S. pork despite the tariff.

"It is something the trade is confident will be worked out sooner rather than later," said Don Roose, analyst with U.S. Commodities.

The tariff may reduce the amount of pork imports slightly, but the 5-percent tariff is not enough to have a major effect, analysts believe. Furthermore, tight pork supplies in the United States may mean that the slight reduction in imports to Mexico won’t send U.S. hog or pork prices much lower.

Source: Reuters

Boar's Head wins new product award

Boar's Head Provisions Co. Inc.’s EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast was honored with the 2010 Best New Product Award for the Deli Category by Better Homes and Gardens and BrandSpark International. The award was presented following an independent study of more than 50,000 Americans.

"We are very proud of our EverRoast Chicken Breast and this award is a testament to Boar's Head commitment to providing only the finest, freshest and best tasting delicatessen products," said RuthAnn LaMore, director of communications at Boar's Head. "EverRoast uses a slow roasted homemade recipe with the highest quality ingredients to ensure it is the best roast chicken you can buy. We're thrilled that consumers agree by recognizing us with this great honor of best in deli."

Source: Boar's Head Provisions Co. Inc.

PMMI names communications director

PMMI announced today a new member of its management team: Julie Ackerman, senior director of public relations and communications.

"Effective communication with our membership, especially in this increasingly competitive global market, is critical," said Chuck Yuska, PMMI’s president and CEO. "We recognized a need to be more efficient in our outreach and to establish new ideas to reach our audience in ways that are not only keeping up with the trends but setting them as well.  Julie brings a new perspective to our ways of communicating and promoting our mission of being the leading global resource for packaging and processing."

Ackerman joins PMMI with over 12 years of communications, marketing and public relations experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors and has worked with organizations serving the needs of many different constituencies. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), an organization that supports and promotes high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.

"Having spent a majority of my career in academia, I am thrilled to have this opportunity with PMMI and to work in a field that will allow me to expand my communications skills," said Ackerman. "I am especially looking forward to working with this dynamic PR and Communications team in creating new ways of reaching an audience that I have not had an opportunity to engage in my previous positions."

Ackerman will join PMMI in the midst of a busy calendar of upcoming events as they prepare for their annual meeting, soon followed by PMMI’s annual PACK EXPO International, the premier event for the packaging and processing industry.

“A challenge is something I welcome and PMMI has allowed me to dive in, head first,” said Ackerman. “An opportunity to begin promoting PACK EXPO International in Chicago, hosting over 1,600 exhibiting companies, is definitely a challenge that I look forward to.”

Source: PMMI