U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) staff in Mexico have worked alongside processors and convenience store chains to develop new snack items that feature U.S. pork. The new items are designed to be consumed at sporting events, music festivals and even on flights. New products include:
- Cones of fried chicharrones made from U.S. pork jowl
- Chicha-ramen – an Asian inspired instant ramen noodle with U.S. pork jowl topping
- Snack-Atelas – a dried ham snack
Development and promotion of the new products was supported by USDA, the National Pork Board and state soybean checkoff programs.
Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. pork, generating nearly $836 million in sales through April of this year. While the market is well established for U.S. pork, USMEF staff in Mexico continually search for new markets within the market to develop new channels, such as these convenience snacks, with demand driven by increasingly busy lifestyles. Two of the new products, the chicharrones cone and Chicha-ramen, were unveiled at Pal-Norté. Pal-Norté is a large music festival in Monterrey that drew more than 80,000 people each of its three days.
