Mexico and South Korea are strengthening agri-food trade through enhanced regulatory cooperation on food safety, including capacity-building initiatives aligned with international standards such as HACCP. Mexico is expanding exports of pork, beef and avocado to Asian markets, requiring strict compliance with sanitary regulations and reinforcing the role of agencies like SADER and SENASICA. Companies such as Bachoco are capitalizing on this framework to scale exports, reflecting growing investment, market access, and supply chain integration between both economies.
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Mexico and South Korea are strengthening agri-food trade through enhanced regulatory cooperation and growing market integration. A new program on food safety, alongside rising pork exports and expanding investment, underscores the strategic importance of this bilateral relationship.
Mexico and the Republic of Korea carried out the Capacity Building Program on Food Safety in Mexico City, with the participation of officials, technicians, and industry representatives from both countries. The initiative stems from the Capacity Building Project for Food Safety Management in Food Imports and Exports, signed in 2023.
Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER) and Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) agreed that the exchange of technical information, experience and regulatory knowledge in agri-food safety strengthens and streamlines trade in safe, high-quality products for consumers in both countries.
The sessions included theoretical classes on food safety, site visits to Mexican companies in the sector and hands-on exercises to develop action plans applying the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), a globally recognized system for food safety prevention.
Santiago Ruy, General Coordinator of International Affairs, SADER, highlighted that cooperation and ongoing dialogue between trade partners strengthens institutional trust and helps both sides better understand the challenges facing the agri-food sector.
Meanwhile, Francisco Javier Calderón, Director-in-Chief, National Service for Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA), noted that countries are currently facing global challenges in health and food safety that can be addressed through science-based strategies supported by technology.
On the Korean side, Lee Sang-Hee, Consul General, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Mexico, emphasized that both countries have built a strong relationship based on trust and friendship for more than 60 years, with a growing exchange in gastronomic culture.
In addition, Mi-Young Won, Deputy Director General, MFDS, stated that Korea has strengthened international cooperation to share its expertise in food safety and build bridges with the regulatory systems of its trading partners.
Kim Hyung-Sik, Director, Korea Accreditation and Halal Assessment Service (KAHAS), added that the capacity-building workshop was particularly meaningful, as it draws on four years of accumulated experience working with Latin American countries, which is key to enhancing trade exchange.
Korea–Latin America Trade
According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), trade in goods between Korea and Latin America and the Caribbean grew from US$10 billion in 2000 to US$56.8 billion in 2023. Likewise, Korean foreign direct investment in the region exceeded US$3 billion in 2023, according to the report “Korea and Latin America and the Caribbean: Advancing Together in a Changing World.”
In the agri-food sector, exports from Latin America to Korea have grown at an annual rate of 20% since 2020. Particularly, Mexico has consolidated its position as the leading supplier of products such as pork and avocado to the Korean market. According to the Mexican Pork Producers Organization (OPORMEX), in 2023 the country exported 194,200 t of pork to South Korea, cementing the Asian country as a key destination for Mexican pork production.
Bachoco Expands into Korea
Further underscoring the importance of this market, in 2025 Bachoco began exporting pork to South Korea as part of its internationalization strategy. In 2020, the Mexican company acquired Sonora Agropecuaria, a pork producer, to diversify its meat business. In 2023, it also completed the acquisition of Norson, a company with 50 years of industry experience. This move allowed Bachoco to continue exporting to major pork markets, including Japan, China, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Angola and New Zealand.
This expansion underscores the complexity of international meat trade, which requires strict regulatory compliance. Before shipment, each batch must be accompanied by sanitary and quality certificates, laboratory analyses and other documentation required by regulatory authorities. In both Mexico and South Korea, products undergo rigorous customs inspections to verify compliance with sanitary standards.
The meat is transported in refrigerated containers that maintain a stable temperature throughout the maritime journey. Upon arrival in South Korea, the product undergoes additional controls before being distributed to wholesalers, retailers or local processors, ensuring it reaches consumers in optimal condition.
“This is a fundamental step in our international growth. Fresh meat is one of the most challenging segments in the industry, and we are proud to have achieved exports to South Korea, one of the country’s main destinations for pork exports,” said Ricardo Tochijara, Strategic Markets Export Manager at Bachoco.
Other Products
In 2020, Mexico’s agri-food exports to South Korea were led by meat products. Beef exports totaled US$29.6 million, followed by pork at US$25.3 million. Other relevant exports included sardines, avocado, animal offal (intestines, bladders and stomachs), vegetable juices and extracts, and fructose and syrups.
On the import side, agri-food products from South Korea to Mexico were primarily processed goods. These included animal feed preparations, valued at US$2.7 million, and soups and broths at US$2.7 million. Mexico also imported dried seaweed of the species Porphyra yezoensis and Porphyra tenera, as well as fruits and other edible plant parts.