June 5, 2009
Travel for overseas food shows and trade missions is prohibitively expensive for many agricultural producers, so the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is bringing the trade mission to Virginia. In cooperation with the Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA), VDACS offers food processors the opportunity to introduce their products to Japanese buyers and a chef in Richmond on June 26 and at the New York Fancy Food Show June 27 – 30, 2009.
“Virginia farmers are already doing business successfully with Japan,” said VDACS Commissioner Todd P. Haymore. “We export more than $25 million worth of product annually now, including poultry, meat products and food-grade soybeans. This is a golden opportunity to expand those exports, and potentially to give some of our producers a high profile at the Tokyo Chef Demonstration in October. I encourage producers to consider this opportunity carefully and to call quickly to schedule an appointment. Time slots are limited, and we will accept appointments on a first-come first-served basis.”
Japan is the world’s largest market for imported consumer foods and the largest overseas market for the U.S. The country boasts a strong total food market of $727 billion, with food product imports at $10 billion and growing. Domestic farming in Japan is declining, creating a greater need for foreign agricultural imports. Japan imports a wide variety of fresh and processed foods. The best candidates for export to Japan are cereals, berries, juices, cakes/waffles/pies, sauces and seasonings, spicy foods, canned vegetables, seafood and snack foods.
The Japanese are particularly attracted to the US market because of the strong Japanese yen versus the weak dollar. U.S. food products appeal to the Japanese as they coincide with food preferences and trends: a willingness to pay higher prices for quality foods, emphasis on nutritious and healthy foods, growth in the ready-to-eat sector with an increase in single households and women in the workforce, and concern with food safety and demand for certifications and production information.
Two Japanese buyers and a chef will participate in the trade mission. Interested producers should contact Keith Long at VDACS to schedule one-on-one meetings in Richmond or at the New York Fancy Food Show. Producers may be selected to demonstrate their products at a show in Tokyo in October 2009. The chef and buyers will select products they would like to include in the fall chef seminar/demonstration. SUSTA will pay for shipping samples to Tokyo.
Information for participants:
· Event dates: June 26, 2009 in Richmond; June 27 – 30 at the New York Fancy Food Show
· Deadline for signing up: June 17, 2009
· Cost for participants: there is no participation fee. Travel to Richmond or New York is the producer’s expense.
Producers interested in taking advantage of this opportunity should contact Keith Long in VDACS’ Office of International Marketing. Call (804) 371.8990 or email keith.long@vdacs.virginia.gov. For information on additional domestic and international trade events, go to the VDACS Web site at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/t-events.shtml.
Elaine J. Lidholm
Director, Office of Communication
Va. Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Oliver W. Hill Building
102 Governor Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804)786-7686
