Going to my local Trader Joe’s, and other shops (even Walmart) I see tons of foods and drinks imported from all over the world - especially from Europe.
Got me to wondering what food and drinks are exported from the US to eager buyers in other countries? (I am not referring to corn and soy beans, more of “brand name” items.)
I assume Coke and Pepsi (although technically, they are usually bottled in each country) would rank high, but then I hit a wall. What else?
I doubt people are lining up in France to buy Velveeta cheese, nor will Germans be snapping up jars of Skippy peanut butter, my guess is the Irish don’t exactly covet 12 packs of Miller Lite…so which brand name foods and drinks are exported to other countries to eager consumers?
Budweiser and other macro-beers. The market is comparably small (to their domestic sales) for these but it’s there. American craft beer is being exported in increasing numbers since the early 2000’s.
Also most of the major fast food restaurants are international now.
Kentucky bourbon. Jack Daniels and other corn whiskeys. Candies and confections from Hershey, Nestle, etc. Alaskan seafood, beef from the midwest, etc.
All kinds of processed foods are exported from the US, to the tune of almost $38B per year, at a trade surplus of about $4B. (2007 data)*
*Note, this is *processed *food only, not total food exports.
There is some American made peanut butter sold here (UK), several brands, but all in very similar containers. German supermarket Aldi’s own brand is US made.
Some supermarkets stock Oscar Mayer bacon.
I’ve don’t recall seeing any American cheeses here, although Canadian cheese is sold.
When I lived in Switzerland I noticed that all of the rice in the supermarket was from the States, but I don’t know if that was just that particular supermarket or not.
In Canada, we get a decent, though not great, selection of imported American microbrews; but the macrobrews (of the “Bud, Miller, Coors Light” variety) tend to be brewed here under license. And of course, we get liquor like Jim Beam and Jack Daniel’s, and all kinds of California wine.
Most sweets and candy in a typical corner store tend to be made here, but a specialty candy store might also have such imported American candy as Mounds, Pay Day, and $100,000 bars; and Red Vines.
And a can of Spam in my pantry is labelled “Product of USA,” so I guess we can include that too.
Check out this article. The first item (#7) is truly baffling…Pabst Blue Ribbon, being marketed in China like fine Scotch? I guess they figured that since no one here was gonna drink it…
For their meat? Or actually shipped alive there for breeding or something? (I’d imagine it’s easier and therefore cheaper to ship butchered meat than it is to ship live animals. Someone wanna chime in otherwise and fight my ignorance, I’m all ears. Well, eyes.)
Re: pecans. Here in Texas, too. The price, and the extra planting.
Nuts
California raisins
Citrus fruit and juices
Tabasco
Newman’s Own
Marshmallow Fluff
They are trying to sell Red Rooster American potatoes here…the phrases “Ice to Eskimos” and “Coals to Newcastle” spring to mind.
I’m certainly not going to pay a premium for something of dubious freshness with a huge carbon footprint, when I can get cheap potatoes grown less than 15 miles away that were in the ground the day before I buy them.