Jerry Hingle featured at the European Seafood Exposition

The European Seafood Exposition is the largest seafood expo in the world, and this year on it's 20th anniversary, Southern United States Trade Association was lucky to have five exhibitors on the trade show floor. Held in Brussels, Belgium, this event is a great opportunity for exporters to expand their reach. Each year, exhibitors sell millions of dollars worth of seafood on the trade show floor alone! Watch the video to learn more about this amazing event.

Featured in the video is Christian Foster, Deputy Administrator for the Office of Trade Programs Foreign Agricultural Service, myself (Jerry Hingle, Executive Director of SUSTA), and Colleen Coyne, Coordinator for Food Export U.S.A Seafood Program.

--Jerry Hingle, Executive Director of the Southern United States Trade Association

Exporters Might Need to Tweak American Food - Jerry Hingle

American snack food exports are growing strongly as the world gains more of an appetite for "on-the-go" snacks and busy urban lifestyles leaves less time to cook. But exporters wishing to take advantage of this growing trend should be prepared to reconsider how their product is packaged and flavored. U.S. portion sizes (16oz bags, gallon containers) are usually too big in nearly all export markets due to smaller refrigerators and cupboards.

But here's how an iconic American snack has been tweaked to fit Chinese tastes:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_SNACKS_OVERSEAS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

European Seafood Exhibition THE Mecca for global seafood trade (Posted by Jerry Hingle, SUSTA Executive Director)

SUSTA, along with the states of Maryland, Virginia, and Florida, exhibited at last week's European Seafood Exhibition in Brussels, Belgium. The event is among the world’s leading gatherings of the seafood industry, with over 1,600 exhibiting companies from over 80 countries. It is one of SUSTA’s top five “must do” trade shows and export sales at the three-day event far exceed sales at any other SUSTA activity. The five companies exhibiting at our pavilion typically sell more than $30 million as a direct result of being at the show.

Our pavilion, located within prime location of the USA pavilion, was staffed by Steve Vilnit (Maryland) and Paul Davis (Florida). Mike Hutt also attended under the sponsorship of the state of Virginia. They all did a superb job at handling enquiries and trade leads, which numbered over 25.

Unlike many generalist food trade shows, ESE is a gathering of tenured and experienced seafood traders. The show is must for any seafood seller wishing to export. Registration for booth space at next year's show are expected to open in October 2012 -- Be sure to sign up quickly as space sells out fast.

Justin Timineri, Executive Chef on loan from the Florida Ag. Department, did a great job at displaying and cooking samples of shrimp, scallops, lobster, and other product available from the companies exhibiting with us.