Bord Bia’s China manager, Conor O’Sullivan, who is based in Shanghai, said this was a welcome development after almost three years’ suspension.
“Bord Bia is now engaged in an Irish beef relaunch campaign focusing on trade seminars, chef demonstrations, and media engagement. Over the next month, we will be exhibiting at two major international meat trade shows in China – the China International Meat Industry Exhibition (CIMIE) and SIAL China in May – to showcase Irish beef to Chinese buyers.
“After first entering in 2018, Ireland quickly established a reputation as a leading supplier of grass-fed beef in China. We had a lot of success building market share into higher value foodservice and retail channels. We are eager to regain that significant momentum in China.”
Foodservice remains the primary channel for beef consumption in China, with frozen beef making up an estimated 60 per cent of the total consumption. Bord Bia’s insight and planning specialist for Asia, Evelyn Chiang, says a key trend emerging in the foodservice sector is the preference for chains of restaurants to use imported beef.
“Chinese consumers highly value the quality of their food ingredients, and the quality of imported beef is highly regarded, presenting a significant opportunity for Irish beef suppliers. Hot-pot restaurants, steakhouses and barbecue restaurants are all seeking high-quality and reliable imported beef, which is great news for Irish companies in the market,” she said.
“This rise of e-commerce and specialised stores is part of the changing consumption patterns in China’s expanding middle class, which puts a premium on health and taste, she said. “This trend is an excellent fit for Ireland’s grass-fed, sustainably produced beef.”
This month, Bord Bia welcomes 15 Chinese government representatives to Ireland for a comprehensive two-week knowledge transfer programme on an itinerary involving visits to Irish farms and processors as part of the EU Pork and Poultry campaign. This campaign is running concurrently with the EU Beef and Lamb campaign in China.