ACCRA, GHANA -- The second U.S Food Products Cook-off involving local talent was held here yesterday with the theme: “U.S. Foods – Great in Quality, Great in Taste.” This year’s event, part of the USA Rice-led Global Based Initiative (GBI) activity, attracted more than four hundred traditional caterers from various food service associations across the nation.
The cook-off was the capstone of three regional food service seminars organized by USA Rice, the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, and the American Peanut Council. More than 1,500 foodservice providers participated in all of the regional seminars, and gained information and education on U.S. rice, poultry, and peanut butter.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Regional Agricultural Counselor Kurt Seifarth attended the event, along with officials traveling with the USDA agribusiness trade mission in Sub-Saharan Africa, and expressed their strong support for this platform for the artisanal catering industry to showcase their culinary skills and creativity, using high quality U.S. food products.
Finatrade and Sucatrade, both local Ghanaian importers of U.S. rice and poultry, donated food products for the cook-off.
This week’s event coincides with the end of a six-month advertising campaign in major cities that was a focal point of the GBI. The campaign includes large format billboards and radio advertising to raise awareness of the U.S. commodities.