The West Indies is a great potential market for the UK’s premium beef and lamb cuts, the AHDB Beef & Lamb said.
The beef and lamb division of the UK’s Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board said it has been working with premium retailers and restaurants in Barbados (located at the Lesser Antilles, which is part of the West Indies) to promote pre-packed Quality Standard Mark (QSM) beef and lamb for the first time in the region.
A series of supermarket tastings, distribution of recipe leaflets, a presentation at a food fair and radio advertising have been organised to highlight premium products in what is seen as an increasingly lucrative market.
Susana Morris, AHDB Beef & Lamb export manager for the Americas, said: “The activity in Barbados involves all premium retailers on the island and represents significant progress for our sector in the region. Our product retails at a premium against competing products, mainly from the USA for beef and New Zealand for lamb. While Barbados is a small market, it is relatively wealthy and, given its strong links with the UK, presents further export opportunities for us”.
She added that pre-packed meats have performed well in the main Barbadian supermarkets since last autumn. “We have high expectation for this as we move forward in 2016 and beyond.”