U.S. Beef Featured at Gulfood—the Middle East’s Largest Food Show

U.S. beef attracted interest from a wide range of buyers at Gulfood 2018. The Gulf Region’s largest food trade show, held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, attracted about 100,000 attendees from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Participation in Gulfood by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), a contractor to the beef checkoff, was made possible through support from the Beef Checkoff Program and the USDA Market Access Program.

In the attached audio report, USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom discusses the Middle Eastern markets that hold strong potential for U.S. beef. This includes Qatar, where the foodservice industry is already gearing up to host the World Cup soccer tournament in 2022.

Halstrom also addresses efforts to rebuild demand in Saudi Arabia, which was a $30 million market for U.S. beef before closing in 2012 due to a BSE case. The market reopened in 2016, and has recently shown signs of renewed momentum.