Consumers in South Korea are scrambling to find a substitute for high-priced domestic beef and pork. And, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has found just the alternative: high-quality, affordable U.S. chilled pork.

Korea stopped importing U.S. beef in December 2003 after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a Washington state dairy cow, and the ban has created a beef shortage and increased demand for pork and its price.

USMEF retail and restaurant promotions are spreading the news to Korean consumers that U.S. pork's taste and texture are comparable to domestic pork while costing 20 percent to 25 percent less.

As a result, large retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Lotte Mart report U.S. chilled pork belly and Boston butt are popular among Korean consumers.

In April, New Core Outlet and Lotte Mart started selling U.S. spare ribs, popular for Korean-style steam and barbecue dishes. U.S. spare ribs for barbecue are packaged already seasoned, making preparation quick and easy, which is appealing to consumers.

USMEF conducted sample-tasting promotions at these stores so consumers could taste the similarities between domestic and U.S. pork. Many consumers are pleasantly surprised how juicy and tasty U.S. pork is. They also comment how U.S. chilled pork belly and Boston butt are distinctively superior to pork from the European Union, which is frozen.

Carrefour and 2001 Outlet are launching U.S. pork in their retail stores this month. USMEF will be there with U.S. pork samples, recipes and giveaways to encourage consumers to try U.S. pork. USMEF reports consumers who taste U.S. pork buy it because of its superior taste and affordable price.

U.S. pork is also showing up more and more on Korean barbecue restaurant menus as an alternative to U.S. beef, which held an almost 90 percent market share in this restaurant sector prior to the ban.

Seochogol, a popular Korean barbecue restaurant, is famous for its charcoal grilled boneless beef short rib, which has increased in price due to high demand and low supply.

To keep this popular menu item affordable for customers, Seochogol introduced U.S. pork spare ribs as an alternative at 40 of their 91 outlets. It was the first time spare ribs imported from the United States were featured on a Korean barbecue restaurant menu.

The dish, a 5.5-inch rib is served seasoned and unseasoned as a single portion, for the restaurant guest to grill at the table. After a successful 13-day launching period for the dish, Seochogol expanded the number of restaurants that offer it. Other restaurant chains have noted its success and have expressed interest in offering U.S. pork on their menus, as well.

Through March, the United States has exported 19,787 metric tons of U.S. pork and pork variety meat to Korea, a 227 percent increase from the same period last year. Value, at $47.5 million through March, has also increased 315 percent from last year.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

Date: 6/2/05

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