Aussie Meat Winning Race at Beijing Olympics

AUSTRALIA - In what was a rare opportunity, late last week the quality and safety attributes of Australian beef and lamb were presented to senior representatives of the Chinese government, food industry leaders and the global media at a 2008 Beijing Olympic Games lead-up event.

11 December 2007

2 minute read

Oceania

Meat & Livestock Australia was the only food industry organisation invited to participate in the prestigious event, which was hosted by the China Cuisine Association. The China Cuisine Association plays a key role in facilitating the food supply requirements for next year’s Olympic Games in China.

Held at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People’s Republic of China, about 200 of China’s most influential government officials, food industry representatives and media attended the ceremony. Dr Peter Hewitt from the Australian Embassy in Beijing presented on MLA’s behalf at the ceremony.

In his address Dr Hewitt assured the attendees of the safety and quality attributes of Australian beef and lamb and reinforced Australia’s commitment to forging long-standing relationships with the Chinese food industry.

“The Australian livestock and meat industry is committed to working with [the Chinese food industry], understanding your business needs and to finding solutions to grow your beef and lamb categories,” Dr Hewitt told the ceremony attendees.

“We are very proud of our record in providing quality products with the highest standards in food safety, integrity and traceability, and you can be assured that our product quality compliments our focus on responsibly meeting the demands of our international customers.

“Australia has an internationally recognised status of being free of all major diseases of cattle and sheep, including BSE and Foot and Mouth Disease.”

MLA also sponsored a tasting event following the official ceremony, at which Australian beef and lamb was served to officials from the Beijing Olympic Committee and Olympic Games food service suppliers. The tasting event provided an invaluable opportunity for the Australian red meat industry to further build its image in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics.

The Beijing Olympic Committee is currently in the process of finalising the food supply arrangements for the Beijing Olympics, which are being held in August 2008.

MLA opened a regional office in Beijing in April 2005 as part of its efforts to grow sales of Australian red meat in the expanding China market. Australia has so far this year exported 2,000 tonnes of beef and 13,137 tonnes of lamb to China. In 2006 Australia exported a total of 850 tonnes of beef and 11,772 tonnes of lamb to China.