Global Markets Update – a note from Andrew Cox

MLA’s international markets team has always had a strong focus on building knowledge, education and inspiration for customers in key markets all around the world. Each year our team conducts thousands of activities to help position Australian red meat and grow opportunities for increased sales.

The enforced stoppage of various elements of our program certainly forced us to think differently and focus on e-learning, digital seminars and events, e-commerce and a number of creative media initiatives. An important opportunity emerging from these times was to be more systematic and single minded in planning, execution and evaluation across the regional offices.

Of course, promotion of fresh food is not the same as for most consumer goods. Whereas the latter (for example an Apple iPad) is consumed in generally the same way across the world – our products often end up as an ingredient into something distinctly local. Sure, hamburgers are eaten all around the world, but Australian beef, lamb and goat is consumed as Genghis Khan BBQ in Hokkaido, Khao Soi in Thailand, Hot Pot in China, thin slice BBQ in Korea, bakso balls in Indonesia, tacos in USA etc. So, understanding local culture is and always will be the most important factor in successful promotion of most fresh foods.

However, there are consistent elements that we want to build ‘Aussie’ promotions around, no matter the market. There are consistent needs and wants from the trade in markets across the globe. For example, chefs may be cooking different dishes with the product in different markets, but they can all gain value from increased knowledge of Australia’s provenance story, eating quality and grading scheme, and secondary cut utilisation. Retailers too will need to tailor their offer to the individual market requirements, but they have a shared interest in Australia’s sustainability story, food safety and shelf life, and best practice meat retailing trends from around the world.

This year we have taken the first step of consolidating all of MLA’s global education and inspiration activities under a single banner – the ‘Aussie Meat Academy’. Our Lambassador and new ‘Aussie Beef Mates’ programs will also fit under this banner. You will see a story about the Aussie Meat Academy launching in Asia in this edition of the Global Market Update, alongside an update on the Australia – UK Free Trade Agreement, our recent summer campaign in the US, and a broad update on the trade data.

It was great to see many exporters and thousands of customers at Food&HotelAsia (FHA) recently, one of the first large scale events of any type to take place in Singapore in the last couple of years.  Please contact us if you would like information about upcoming global events, trade shows or promotions.