Brazilian consumers can now enjoy a fresh cut of American beef. For the first time, the world’s largest meat processor, JBS SA, imported fresh beef from the United States to Brazil.
“With Brazil’s large market reopened to the United States, U.S. beef exports are poised for new growth. I look forward to Brazilians getting the opportunity to eat delicious American beef, because once they taste it, they’ll want more of it,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a news release.
The imports are part of an effort by JBS SA to develop a niche market for a more marbled version of a top sirloin cap, according to a Reuters exclusive.
JBS SA officials say imports of the meat could reach at least 150 tons per month. That’s the equivalent of about 10 percent of JBS SA’s production of top sirloin cap, known as “picanha,” in Brazil, where it is a prized cut of beef.
A bilateral deal struck between Brazil and the U.S. last year paved the way for the fresh beef imports. The deal also allows Brazilian beef to be sold in the United States.
A meat director for JBS told Reuters the company has not decided what it will sell the top sirloin caps for. He did indicate they will only be sold in São Paulo in the southeast region of Brazil at first.
The first container of fresh American beef is currently in Brazil. It will be opened in a special ceremony with American officials.
Brazil closed its market to imports of U.S. fresh beef in 2003 over concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Since then, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and APHIS have worked continuously with Brazilian officials to regain market access.
Additionally, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has provided documentation and information on the U.S. food safety requirements and standards for beef. Following numerous technical discussions and meetings, Brazil officially reopened the market on Aug. 1, 2016 based on the United States’ classification by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as a negligible risk country for BSE.