El Salvador Beef

El Salvador Beef

Facts about beef in El Salvador

  • In El Salvador- the FAO found- one out of one child under four suffers from protein-energy malnutrition.
  • El Salvador is the most densely populated country in Central America- with a population of about 6 million. Consumers there are most familiar with domestic beef or beef imported from Nicaragua
  • As beef production in Central America leaped astronomically in pursuit of the lucrative export market- average per capita beef consumption by the people of Central America plummeted.From 1960 to the mid-1970s- consumption fell 38 percent in El Salvador
  • While U.S. beef consumption maintained a generally upward trend to 123 pounds per person by 1978- the average Salvadoran eats 15 pounds.
  • El Salvador has “lifted all age and product restrictions on U.S. beef- eliminating the need for an export verification program. El Salvador’s age restrictions meant that beef and beef products had to be from cattle that were no more than 30 months old. This is a fairly common restriction meant to protect against the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease).
  • Well-known Salvadoran dishes include carne guisada- lomo entomatado (beef with tomatoes)- carne asada (grilled steak- usually served with a type of Salvadoran salsa called chimol)- pasteles de carne (meat pies)…most recipes includes meat.