United States Soy Industry Strongly Represented at Southeast Asia Symposia and Trade Shows

March 9, 2007 - United States soybeans had strong representation at a series of symposia, workshops and trade shows co-sponsored by the American Soybean Association -- International Marketing from March 5 through March 9 in Bangkok, Thailand. Other sponsors included the Mahidol University Institute of Nutrition and the Soyfood Forum--Southeast Asia.
     The events were attended by researchers, buyers, exporters, shippers, soybean producers, governmental agencies and trade organizations from throughout the world. The weeks’s events began with a March 5 seminar and workshop, “Fermented Soyfood in Asia -- Status, Research and Opportunities,” which focused on a range of soy topics including proper production methods as well as recent research proving numerous health benefits from fermented soy foods.
     On March 6, the 5th Southeast Asia Soyfood Seminar -- “Science to Market -- Opportunities in Asia” featured experts from universities and non-government organizations from around the world. Presentations were kicked off by John Lindblom, Regional Director of ASA International Marketing -Singapore, focusing on market overview and trends, navigating the soy supply chain, recent developments in processing and product innovations, and moving from science to marketing.
     On March 7-9, the program shifted to the 7th International Soy Symposium -- “Role of Soy in Health and Disease Prevention.” Participants were presented with a wide range of recent research on everything from the effects of soy on bone health to preserving thinking ability in old age.
     About an hour drive from the Soy Symposia, ASA-IM was also represented at the VIV Asia 2007 conference, a large livestock exhibition focusing on poultry and pork production. Dr. Robert Swick of ASA-IM-Singapore moderated a seminar session with four presentations on “Processing and Use of Soybean Products.”
     A soy products trade show running at the same time as the 7th International Soy Symposium seminar was staffed by a number of U.S. trade organizations involved with shipping, processing or other soy product services.

ASA-IM Singapore Marketing Director Timothy Loh shares soy information at the ASA-IM trade show booth, where a number of soy recipes were sampled by attendees.