Although Costa Rica is a relatively small destination for U.S. beef and pork, the market holds strong interest for U.S. meat exporters because of its rapidly growing tourism and hospitality industries. But an unusual technical requirement has made it difficult to ship chilled (never frozen) beef and pork to Costa Rica: the product had to arrive in the country within nine days of its packing date.

This requirement was recently removed, as explained by U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) technical services manager Cheyenne McEndaffer. She noted that USMEF worked with industry partners and U.S. trade officials to address this issue and bring it to a successful conclusion, which will create more opportunities for high-quality beef and pork in Costa Rica. 

Costa Rica also removed a requirement that frozen U.S. beef and pork must arrive in the country within six months of its packing date.

Through September, U.S. beef exports to Costa Rica totaled $10.5 million – up more than 40% from a year ago. Pork exports totaled $9.2 million, up 8%.