ThinkUSAdairy, the U.S. Dairy Export Council’s (USDEC) customer-facing website, is a constantly updated resource for food and beverage manufacturers. As part of ThinkUSAdairy, the Dairy Spotlight blog helps manufacturers and marketers stay informed on consumer trends, market insights and dairy updates so their products stay relevant and desirable.

USDEC exhibited at the Food Ingredients Asia trade show, held October 15-17, 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia.This is the largest ingredients show held in Southeast Asia, with approximately 80 perent of visitors from Indonesia and the remaining 20 perent from the rest of Southeast Asia. USDEC used the show as a platform to highlight what's new in the U.S. dairy industry and reinforcing the U.S. dairy industry's supply security advantages and great progress and eagerness in being a customer-centric business partner for Southeast Asia. This included introducing USDEC's new Southeast Asia representatives while also communicating the exciting cost-saving, flavor enhancing benefits of permeate. Also highlighted were the U.S. dairy industry's rising supply of whole milk powder, tight spec skim milk powder and milk proteins, alongside the wide spectrum of whey protein ingredients. In conjunction with the show, USDEC also hosted a well-attended reception at the U.S. Embassy with the participation of over 100 Southeast Asian importers and end-users. The show as well as reception proved to be an effective platform to showcase the U.S. dairy industry’s advantages and evolving product portfolio.

USDEC hosted seminars in Beijing (October 14) and Shanghai (October 16) with the theme of “New Horizons of U.S. Dairy Ingredients” reaching 110 participants, primarily R&D staff from local and multinational end-users. The seminars highlighted the United States’ expanding portfolio of attractive dairy ingredients with an emphasis on milk protein concentrates/isolates for health and wellness innovation as well as permeates as a bright prospect rising star ingredient given the cost-saving, flavor potentiating and sodium reduction benefits.

Eighty Egyptian manufacturers and importers attended a USDEC seminar in Cairo on “Discovering U.S. Permeate: Advantages and Opportunities in Bakery Applications” in September. Of the attendees, 75 percent represented the bakery/confectionery industries, 17 percent ingredient imports/ distributors and eight percent food science/academics. Speakers from USDEC, the U.S. Wheat Marketing Institute and Egyptian Food Technology Research Institute highlighted permeate’s functional and sensory benefits in both Western and Egyptian applications.

Nine research and development/technical staff from Vietnamese bakery and confectionery manufacturers participated in a technical training reverse trade mission to the United States, August 3-9, 2014.