Marketing to Hispanic Consumers the Focus of Timely 2003 Annual Meat Conference Session

Washington, DC—Prepare to “Meat the Future” of marketing meat and poultry products to America’s fast growing Hispanic population at this special session during the Annual Meat Conference March 9 – 11, 2003, at the Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, GA.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics have surged past African Americans as the country’s largest minority group. As of July 2001, Hispanics in America numbered 37 million, compared to the non-Hispanic black population of 36.1 million. And a recent University of California Los Angeles study revealed that half of all babies born in the state of California between July and September 2001 were Hispanic.

The workshop aims to address this growing population and what it means for meat and poultry companies. Four of the most experienced and well-known Hispanic marketing experts will lead the discussion on “Globalization of the Americas: Marketing to the Hispanic Consumer.” The panelists will share case studies and successful marketing strategies. Experts also will engage the audience in what promises to be a timely and informative discussion.

Panelists include John Hagerla, assistant vice president, retail and food service marketing, National Pork Board; Pete Lara, director of perishables, Fiesta Mart; Homero Recio, vice president, Western Hemisphere, U.S. Meat Export Federation; and Melissa Southern-Garcia, owner of Global Nutrition Consultants.

The session is scheduled for Monday, March 10, 2003, from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and will be repeated from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Annual Meat Conference also will include a product tasting reception, technology fair and an agenda packed with insightful information about trends in meat and poultry marketing. The conference is sponsored by the American Meat Institute and the Food Marketing Institute. Associate sponsors include the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Board and the National Turkey Federation.

Registration for the conference is $595 per person for members of sponsoring organizations, $545 when three or more people register together. To download the registration form and for ongoing information updates, go to www.meatconference.com http://www.meatconference.com. For questions about registration, contact Elizabeth Newton, enewton@fmi.org, 202/452-8444.

AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Together, AMI's members produce 95 percent of the beef, pork, lamb and veal products and 70 percent of the turkey products in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute provides legislative, regulatory, public relations, technical, scientific and educational services to the industry. Its affiliate, the AMI Foundation, is a separate 501(c)3 organization that conducts research, education and information projects for the industry.

Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 2,300 member companies - food retailers and wholesalers - in the United States and around the world. FMI's U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $340 billion - three-quarters of all food retail store sales in the United States. FMI's retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from 60 countries.