Agreement is latest in a series of moves aimed at raising U.S. dairy profile and enhancing customer service in the region.
SINGAPORE – The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the Food Innovation and Resource Centre (FIRC) at Singapore Polytechnic signed a partnership agreement in May that furthers U.S. dairy’s commitment to food innovation to meet the needs of Southeast Asian customers and consumers.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) lays out a framework under which USDEC and U.S. dairy suppliers will work together with FIRC to deepen dairy knowledge, develop innovative food products for the Southeast Asian market, and provide consumers in the region with more options suited to their specific tastes.
“Singapore is a hotbed of food innovation and the gateway to Southeast Asia,” said USDEC president and CEO Tom Vilsack. “FIRC’s team of food technologists, packaging specialists and engineers is at the forefront of establishing Singapore as a strategic food hub. We are very excited to be working with this innovative group and look forward to sharing U.S. dairy technology and expertise.”
FIRC, a joint venture between Singapore Polytechnic and Enterprise Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, was formed in 2007 to provide food companies with technical expertise in new product and process development. It is part of the government’s vision to position Singapore as a leading food and nutrition hub in Asia.
“One of FIRC’s objectives is to leverage science and technology to develop food innovations and capture new markets,” said Loong Mann Na, Centre Director FIRC. “We expect the dairy knowledge and spirit of innovation brought by USDEC and its members will advance progress toward that goal.”
A Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC) at Singapore Polytechnic paves the way for further innovation in Southeast Asian foods and beverages with U.S. dairy ingredients. From left, Zen Tan, FIRC business development manager; Martin Teo, USDEC food applications technical director; Loong Mann Na, FIRC centre director; Vikki Nicholson-West USDEC business unit director for Southeast Asia; and Dali Ghazalay, USDEC regional director for Southeast Asia.
U.S. Dairy is not new to the region. USDEC has staffed an office in Southeast Asia since 1998, and currently around two-dozen USDEC member companies have personnel based in Singapore or Southeast Asia.
“This partnership allows U.S. dairy suppliers to be at the forefront of the product development process, become more customer-centric and enhance their level of service,” says Martin Teo, technical director, food applications, with USDEC’s Singapore office.
Teo will serve as the key contact between U.S. dairy suppliers and FIRC. When he joined USDEC in March of this year, he brought with him 25 years of experience in the Southeast Asian food industry. Like the FIRC MOU, he is part of the broader U.S. plan to deepen U.S. dairy ties with Southeast Asia and meet the region’s dairy needs.
USDEC’s 2018 activities focus on demonstrating how the U.S. lineup of sustainably-produced dairy protein, milk powder, specialty ingredients and cheese fit the taste preferences and nutritional requirements of the region. Those activities fall into two primary areas:
- Health and wellness focused: A permeate workshop at the FIRC facilities, the U.S. presence at Food Ingredients Vietnam, USDEC’s U.S. Dairy Innovation Seminar in Vietnam, a technical training mission in the United States for Southeast Asian food R&D specialists (in coordination with the 2018 Institute of Food Technologist Expo), ingredients innovation seminar in October and Food Ingredients Asia provide further opportunities for U.S. suppliers and Southeast Asian buyers to work together, build relationships and explore the benefits of U.S. dairy ingredients.
- Culinary focused: USDEC hosted cheese receptions, showcases and chef events as this year’s official dairy partner for Singapore’s World Gourmet Summit and at Food and Hotel Asia. A cheese innovation seminar is on tap for August. The series of events seeks to promote awareness and heritage in U.S. cheese, and demonstrate how U.S. cheese varieties, quality, value and innovation can meet the needs of the Southeast Asian foodservice sector.
Martin Teo (left), USDEC food applications technical director, leads a May 11-12 U.S. permeate bakery innovation workshop at Singapore Polytechnic’s Food Innovation & Resource Centre (FIRC). Senior food R&D leaders from food companies in Singapore and Malaysia participated. The USDEC-FIRC MOU paves the way for more innovation in Southeast Asia’s food and beverages with U.S. dairy ingredients.
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About USDEC: The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. See www.usdec.org. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record.
