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A Japanese culture focused on health and wellness opens doors for U.S. whey protein concentrate.
Even as global dairy markets struggle to recover, opportunities exist. Our eight-part video series features the perspectives of USDEC international representatives based in key global markets for U.S. dairy exporters.
In this video, USDEC's Jeff McNeill, based in Tokyo, discusses Japan's increasing demand for health-and-wellness products, such as whey protein concentrate. A full transcript follows the video.
(Full video will display on mobile devices when started.)
TRANSCRIPT: The health-and-wellness movement is driving dairy demand in Japan.
Where do you see the biggest opportunities for U.S. dairy companies in Japan?
Cheese I think will continue to be a great opportunity going forward. So we are looking forward to continuing in that area. If you look into the powder complex—in particular whey protein concentrate 80 and above, which is really the high-value end of the chain—we’ve been focusing our efforts for the last two to three years on the health-and-wellness aspect, trying to work with Japanese customers, major manufacturers of food and beverages in the marketplace to develop a market for health-and-wellness products for U.S. dairy ingredients, and we are starting to see the fruits of that now.
Can you elaborate?
I think all around the world, especially in the developed markets, you are seeing an increasing focus on people concerned with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. And to do that it means looking at your diet—products such as the whey protein concentrates where they have some scientific evidence showing that it helps maintain a good body composition. As you age and get older, it helps you maintain a muscle mass, which I think is increasingly important, especially in the Japanese market where the population is tending to age year-by-year.
Learn more: Related articles have appeared in the U.S. Dairy Exporter Blog:
- Global Boom of 65+ Population Opens Door for U.S. Whey Protein
- Alpha-lactalbumin Golden Opportunity for U.S. Dairy
- Research Confirms Benefits of Whey Protein
The “Dairy Export Opportunities” series includes these eight videos:
- Mexico: Rodrigo Fernandez; Mexico City, Mexico
- South America: Cesar Leiva; Lima, Peru
- Japan: Jeff McNeill; Tokyo, Japan
- South Korea: Y.S. Lee; Seoul, South Korea
- China: Daniel Chan; Shanghai, China
- Vietnam: Phuong Dang; Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Middle East/North Africa: Nina Bakht; Beirut, Lebanon
- Southeast Asia: Tony Emms; Singapore
Each video can be reused without permission. To share this video on social media, click the buttons at the top and bottom of this post. To put on your own site, see the video on YouTube and click the "share" button. To request a DVD, contact us at mokeefe@usdec.org or mspeich@usdec.org.
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The U.S. Dairy Export Council fosters collaborative industry partnerships with processors, trading companies and others to enhance global demand for U.S. dairy products and ingredients. USDEC is primarily supported by Dairy Management Inc. through the dairy farmer checkoff.
