Europe’s premier biennial food and beverage fair, Anuga is underway this week in Cologne, Germany, and USMEF is among the 6,777 exhibitors from 98 countries around the world looking to grow market share by reaching new customers through this major event.
“I continue to be amazed with Anuga,” said Steve Isaf, USMEF chairman as well as president and CEO of Interra International, a multinational food trading and distribution company. “The largest food show in the world is a great opportunity to see global trade from Europe and the Middle East all the way to Africa, China and Hong Kong.”
Anuga drew nearly 155,000 visitors from 185 countries in 2011, and early reports from the European press indicate that it should handily exceed those totals this year, with an optimistic tone set by both buyers and sellers.
“Anuga affords the U.S. industry the opportunity to see the world’s competition as well as our customers,” said Philip Seng, USMEF president and CEO. “The pork, beef and lamb industries from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa were represented here. Understanding our competition and the market opportunities in the various regions is an essential part of being successful from a trade perspective and Anuga is an excellent forum for U.S. exporters to do just that.”
Isaf agreed that trade shows like Anuga are important tools for both USMEF and the exporters it represents.
“The USMEF logo at the USA pavilion tells our customers that this is where they can find the highest quality red meat products and the most dynamic suppliers,” said Isaf. “The traffic that I’m seeing at the USMEF booth reinforces that and shows the level of interest there is around the world in high-quality U.S. beef, pork and lamb.”