Monteverde – In order to meet the growing demand for quality meat by Chinese consumers, Uruguayan meat processor Rondatel SA is seeking to export its unique black meat products to the Chinese market.
Sleek packaging is eye-catching, and it has an innovative label that tracks the content from the ranch to the plate.
General Manager Marcos Antelo told Xinhua that Rondatel is the only meat processing plant in Uruguay that can track the final consumer through the animals on the label.
Consumers “can scan barcodes to see the animal’s birth route – its age – and track the food they will consume,” he added.
Rondatel has a factory in southwestern Colonia and the capital, Montevideo, which exports to several markets, including Europe and the United States, but it invests heavily in China.
The company participated in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai in November and plans to exhibit again this year.
Last year, the company exported $80 million worth of Uruguayan meat to China, accounting for 40% of its total exports.
“China’s high-quality production is packaged in a special box, black. The Uruguayan meat in these boxes is the best Uruguayan meat” Antelo said.
“It’s a very tender Uruguayan meat, thin, and very low in fat. Animals walk on pastures, walk a lot, develop muscle tissue, no fat,” Antello said, adding that “this is why our meat has a different taste. “”
He added that they are “the highest value products and the most sought after products because it is lean and traced.”
In addition, the Uruguayan meat does not contain any hormones, and he also has a lot of attention in terms of hygiene.
Visit the factories on the outskirts of Montevideo and focus on on-site inspections to maintain hygiene and food safety.
Antelo said that Chinese consumers are becoming more aware of the Uruguay brand and that the company has received more orders for black boxes.
He recalled that at the import fair, a Chinese businessman asked to ship 40 containers per month. “Now we can’t do it. We can make 20 containers, about 500 tons. That’s why the most reliable way is to expand every month. To 30 or 35 containers.”
Rondatel executive Tatiana Moreira, who attended the import fair, said potential Chinese buyers are eager to try Uruguayan meat.
The challenge now is to ensure that Rondatel is able to meet the growing demand. The company plans to increase production by 35% to 40% by increasing working days and expanding warehousing and processing capabilities.
“We will invest in infrastructure that focuses on the Chinese market and is specifically produced for China,” Antelo said.
News Source: China Daily
