AHDB launches ‘Country Focus Reports’ at Oxford Farming Conference

04-Jan-2019 - Last updated on 07-Jan-2019 at 09:20 GMT

Credit: Oxford Farming Conference

The UK’s Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) unveiled three reports into how the organisation is aiming to gain further access to international markets for sheep meat and beef.

Launched at the Oxford Farming Conference in the UK this week, AHDB rolled out its first series of ‘Country Focus Reports’ for China, the US and Japan which examined consumer eating habits and buying behaviours for the three markets.

The Country Focus Report on Japan revealed that consumers showed little familiarity with British food, due to the small scale of exports to the country. However, the report suggested that marketing products to satisfy some or all of the key consumer demands would help the UK succeed in the Japanese market.

The UK currently ships pork and dairy products to Japan, both of which have seen growth in terms of volume and value over the last year, according to AHDB.

The China report highlighted that food safety was critical to consumers, while the US report identified that quality was top of mind for most Americans, but value for money was critical, especially when shopping for meat.

AHDB’s international market development director Phil Hadley said the reports were “critical” if the UK was to grow its exports to new and existing markets outside the EU.

“We believe these reports are a valuable source of information for industry and will help us all gain a greater understanding of different food trends, eating behaviours and purchasing decisions around the world,” said Hadley.

“With work ongoing to gain access for our sheep meat and beef, it is more important than ever to fully understand the needs of Japanese consumers and how we can make the most of future opportunities.”

AHDB plans to identify other key markets throughout 2019 as part of the initiative.