Welcome

Welcome to the May issue of the USAPEEC ASEAN Regional Office.

The newsletter seeks to provide readers with useful product and major market information for institutional and consumer users of U.S. poultry. Readers will find in every issue a variety of general market information, program activities as well as useful product information.

This month, we take a look at several market perspectives in the individual ASEAN countries.

Contents:

• Philippines, a billion dollar market for U.S. consumer-oriented food products
• Skillful fusion of regular Asian dish served in Spanish style
• Thailand food processing industry is among Asia’s largest
• The flight of the turkey
• From the supermarket to you at the click of a mouse

Additional Market Information Available

We have updated our website to include more information on market reports and export documentation guidelines.

You can visit our ASEAN website at: www.usapeecasean.com

Buyer's Guide

USAPEEC has produced an online buyer’s guides for chicken, turkey, and duck products. These colorful guides give buyers the opportunity to see photographs and descriptions of the most commonly marketed products. The guides also provide information on proper handling of raw products, as well as nutritional information and an overview of how the U.S. Department of Agriculture's inspection and grading system for poultry ensures a wholesome product.

www.usapeec.org/importers/buyersguide.cfm

Philippines, a billion dollar market for U.S. consumer oriented food products

U.S. exports of food and beverage products to the Philippines attained a record US$1.1 billion in 2014. In a short span of five years from 2009, U.S. exports of consumer foods expanded from US$428 million to US$1110 million in 2014.  Within the ASEAN grouping, the Philippines with a population of 107 million, is the largest consumer-oriented agricultural market for U.S. exporters. It is also the tenth largest market in the world for the United States. The top five consumer-oriented agricultural products are: dairy products, meat & products, prepared food, fruit & vegetable juices, and processed vegetables.
What are the factors that contribute to this robust appetite for U.S. foods in the Philippines? Most of the food & beverage trade experts cite the following reasons:

• Strong consistent economic growth over the last decade
• The high regard for the quality of U.S. packaged foods
• The fast growing, youthful and highly urbanized population familiar with western foods
• The growth in the number of supermarket outlets catering to imported western products
• A rapidly expanding food processing industry

Trade Visitors at WOFEX show, Manila

Skillful fusion of regular Asian dish served in Spanish style.

This recipe was specially developed by TV celebrity chef Eric Teo. The recipe shares a very unique fusion of an Asian duck dish prepared and served in Spanish style. With the ingredients skillfully blended in this manner, the duck tapas may be served as a regular dish in Chinese or western restaurants or as an appetizer in a lounge. 

The following recipe is selected from the array of healthy cuisines developed by Chef Teo. These healthy recipes could be found in the “US Poultry Asian Flavors” coffee table cookbook which was produced specially for USAPEEC. 

Stir fry XO Duck wrapped in Grilled Brinjal
Ingredients
Serves 7

• 1 US duck breast, skin off
• 1 large brinjal, length sliced
• 50 grams fresh Shimeji mushrooms, bottom trimmed
• ¼ piece red bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 stalk spring onion, sliced thinly
• 50 grams carrot, sliced stripes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soya sauce
• 3 tablespoons XO sauce, scallop flavor
• A dash of white pepper
• A pinch of sea salt

Method:

• Slice the duck breast thinly and marinate with 2 tablespoons of XO sauce, light soy sauce and pepper then set it aside.
• On a hot griller, cook the brinjal with a little olive oil till soft. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Set aside.
• Heat up a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the marinated duck over medium high heat for 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms, carrots and red peppers and continue to cook for 1 minute over high heat. Add spring onion and toss well.
• Put the ingredients evenly on the end of the sliced grilled brinjal and roll up.
• Garnish with the balance XO sauce.

Nutrient Analysis Per Serving
Energy	kcal	224
Total Fat	g	9
Sat. Fat	g	2
Cholesterol	mg	58
Carbohydrate	mg	5
Protein	mg	30
Fiber	mg	2.5
Sodium	mg	725

Stir-fry XO Duck wrapped in Grilled Brinjal

Thailand food processing industry is among Asia’s largest

Thailand has been historically noted as a major agricultural exporter in the world for a number of unprocessed commodities including rice, seafood, poultry, sugar, meat, vegetable and fruit A lesser known fact is that it is also a leading supplier of a wide range of processed foods. Thai processed food exports are in the excess of US$24 billion annually.

Major export markets for Thai agricultural exports (processed and unprocessed) include China, Japan, United States, United Kingdom, EU and the ASEAN grouping. The exports amounted to US$32 billion in 2013.

Major processed foods produced in Thailand include frozen shrimp, ice cream, instant noodles, bakery products, fruit and vegetable juices, poultry and processed poultry products, canned tuna, confectionery, snacks, canned pineapple and tapioca products.

A broad range of packaged foods manufactured in Thailand could be found in Singapore supermarkets. These include processed and marinated chicken products, processed sea foods, fresh milk, ice cream, cookies, snacks, instant noodles, sauces, and sugar and chocolate confectionery.

As a result of the fast expanding processed food industry, market opportunities lie in the export of food ingredients to the Thai market. Thailand annually imports a considerable volume of food ingredients from a number of countries such as Australia, Canada, China as well as the United States (a total of US$2.5 billion in 2013).

In 2013, major food ingredients imported by Thailand include:

• soybeans (US$1billion)
• dairy products (US$641 million in total)
• malt extract(US$274 million)
• skim milk powder(US$243 million)
• essential oils (US$227 million)
• wheat flour (US$96 million),
• sugar/sweetener/beverage bases (US$92 million)  
• whey (US$89 million)
• dried vegetables (US$71 million)
• enzymes(US$58 million)
• starches (US$48million)
• nuts (US$45 million)

Thai processed chicken products in a Singapore supermarket

The Flight of the Turkey

The traditional roasted turkey is an iconic festive season dish for Christmas and Thanksgiving mainly celebrated in the West. However, the world is gradually becoming a huge melting pot due to globalization. More people are working in foreign countries, bringing their culture and cuisine with them. As a result, the celebration of Thanksgiving spreads to Asia and the turkey’s popularity is on the rise.

Did you know that unconventional turkey dishes such as turkey bon bons, turducken and turkey ice cream exist too? As weird as they sound, they might just be a treat for your palate with their aromatic flavor and unique texture.

In this article, we will share about these dishes and how they can be incorporated into your next festive holiday dinner menu.

Turkey bon bons were introduced by Heathrow Airport and handed out to travelers flying during the Christmas period to ensure that no one missed out on their holiday feast. They wanted to evoke the taste and sentiment of Christmas, even at 35,000 feet. 

There were three different flavored bon bons - turkey, sage and onion fillings and Christmas pudding. The turkey, sage and onion fillings bon bons tasted surprisingly like a real Christmas meal, while the Christmas pudding one had hints of brandy butter, raisins and festive spices.

Turkey bon bons are just the start of an amazing meal. Next, the turducken is an ideal dish for your main course. A turducken, as its name suggests, is a partially deboned turkey that is stuffed with a deboned duck, which is in turn stuffed with a deboned chicken. Although one serving contains a whopping 510 calories per serving, it is an interesting twist to the traditional holiday turkey. It is also a wonderful poultry dish that is bound to satisfy meat lovers. Spathe Public House, a restaurant in Singapore, recently offered the turducken on its Christmas menu.

After a full meal, end the evening with some dessert. A Portland ice cream company, Salt & Straw, introduced a collection of seasonal ice cream flavors catered for Thanksgiving.

Out of the six Thanksgiving flavors offered, the Salted Caramel Thanksgiving Turkey is the most popular, having made its comeback for a second time. The ice cream is described to have “all the flavors of a roasted turkey, its juices and the caramelized onions and comes complete with fried turkey skin brittle.”

For this year’s Thanksgiving and Christmas, consider incorporating the above dishes into your dinner menu; they will easily complete your main dish and dessert!

Roasted U.S Turkey

Robots Vs Humans

With the proliferation of technology and the growth of e-commerce, more people are turning to online stores for products such as clothes, electronic goods, books and even groceries.

Time-strapped individuals, driven by convenience, find online supermarkets an appealing choice¹. These shoppers no longer have to take time out of their busy schedules to shop at a brick & mortar store. Instead, they complete their grocery shopping at the comfort of their own office or home, and the items are delivered with just a few clicks.

Several supermarkets and grocers have taken their business online in Singapore, with Redmart, Giant and The Fish Wives as prominent examples.

Redmart is one of Singapore’s largest grocery stores online with over 5,000 items. After doing some comparison and research, it is found that Redmart’s prices are comparable to items in conventional supermarkets such as Fairprice.

Delivery is free for minimum orders of S$75 (US$55.55) while first time buyers need to have a minimum order of only S$49 (US$36.30). In addition, first-time buyers will enjoy S$10 off their total tab for the minimum order of S$49. A fee of S$7 (US$5.18) is chargeable for delivery of orders that do not meet the minimum amount.

Redmart offers a series of products and credit card promotions from time to time. This may be appealing to customers shopping for value. It also has a points system that credit customers for every purchase they make. These points can be used to offset subsequent purchases.

Another hypermarket in Singapore, Giant carries a wide variety of fresh produce and frozen food. Giant charges a delivery fee of S$7 for orders above S$60 (US$44.44) and S$12 (US$8.88) for orders below S$60.

Giant offers credit card rebates and a rewards system which will appeal to price-sensitive customers. Giant stores their customers’ order histories – through their online account - making it easier for customers to purchase similar items in subsequent orders.

Moving away from brick and mortar supermarkets, The Fish Wives is an online wet market that imports “the finest” seafood, meat and gourmet products from Australia and New Zealand. The main items being sold are fish and meat such as New Zealand King Salmon and Kuhlburra by Barramudi Asia. Its unique selling point is that all products are non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) and free of hormone, antibiotic, mercury, steroid, and growth enhancer.

The Fish Wives carries marinated whole chickens and chicken carcasses for soup stock as well as various chicken parts. Delivery is charged at S$10 (US$7.41) per order and while fish orders are delivered within a week, chicken orders are delivered within one to two days.

Looking outside of Singapore, Line Corporation has also recently launched an online supermarket in Thailand. Users simply add existing Line official accounts - “Line Hot Deal”, “Line Hot Brand, and “Hot Deal: Living” onto their friend list and they will receive notifications when there are available deals. It promises discounts on everyday food staples and offers free delivery within the country. Payment is done through Line’s “Prompt Pay” platform which stores credit card details, as well as delivery details for users. Line is also currently working towards accepting cash on delivery (COD).

In Malaysia and Indonesia, a new grocery shopping application, HappyFresh, was launched recently. HappyFresh lets consumers order groceries directly from offline supermarkets with orders being delivered as quickly as within the hour. HappyFresh hires personal shoppers who are permanently stationed at the partner stores to fulfil each order.

Although online grocery shopping might seem appealing, there are several benefits to shop at a physical supermarket. For example, marketing promotions and discounts can be more novel and engaging at the store. Gimmicks such as discount coupons and free food samples can attract consumers into visiting the supermarket for greater savings. In Mexico, the Dancing Cow has been making its rounds advertising for Alpura - a Mexican dairy brand - and gaining much attention and laughter. Another benefit to shopping at a supermarket is that you can select the chicken or greens personally and not worry about the quality of the item.

¹Source: Makgeolli wine or cactus chocs? Just order online

Supermarket Display