Factors influencing consumer demand for U.S. pork exported to the Republic of Korea (South Korea)

The potential market for single-ribbed bellies and Boston butts in South Korea was character- ized and quantitative selection criteria were identified for use by U.S. packers when selecting pork for export. South Korean retail meat market managers and trad- ers/wholesalers in Seoul and Pusan were interviewed and asked to identify the quality attributes that are considered when making pork-purchasing decisions. In addition, pork labeling characteristics and meat display case measurements and space allocations were re- corded in each retail store. Data from box labels were recorded in retail storage coolers to characterize pork products currently being merchandized in South Korea. Sample retail packages of belly and butt slices were collected and sent to a commercial laboratory for analy- sis of iodine values, ether-extractable fat content, total aerobic plate count (APC), total coliform count (TCC), and generic Escherichia coli count (ECC). No quality attributes of U.S. products exceeded the expectations