Grand Finale Competition of the United Tastes of America Asia Chef Challenge 2015/2016: March 23, Hattori Nutrition & Culinary School, Tokyo, Japan

The Korean champion team of ‘the United Tastes of America Asia Chef Challenge 2015/2016 – South Korea Prelim’, a GBI project co-organized by ATOs in the region and the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), participated in the Grand Finale Competition that took place in Tokyo, Japan on March 23, 2016 under ATO Seoul’s CSSF budget. Four other national champion teams representing China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan also participated in the competition. The four course meal presented by the contestant teams incorporated 19 mandatory ingredients donated by sponsor USDA cooperators. The Korean team won the Best Appetizer prize in the finale competition as a result. The Grand Champion prize of the competition was awarded to the team China as they exhibited the highest level of culinary skills, creativity, and full yet balanced tastes in their work. Team Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong won the prize for Best Soup, Best Main Dish, and Best Dessert respectively. The overall event successfully accomplished its goal of promoting the value, quality and diversity of American products to the target audience in the HRI foodservice sector in Asia.

Natural Product Expo West (NPEW) 2016 Show

ATO recruited and supported 5 Korean organic & natural products importers to attend the Natural Product Expo West (NPEW) 2016 Show held in Anaheim, California March 11-13, 2016, to develop the opportunities for trade. Post activity survey resulted in a $580,000 sales estimate from mission members over the next 12 months. Their products of interest were super foods, raw ingredients for manufacturing of domestic products, snacks, organic canned tomato sauce, chips, sauces, organic fruit freeze dried powder, organic grain powder, organic fruit NFC juice, organic baby food/baby snack, organic oil including bulk pack as well as new organic products. The market tour was arranged with input from the mission members themselves to visit such places as Whole Foods, COSTCO, Trader Joes, Albertson’s, Sprout’s and others during the trip to understand market trends and find new products to trade. Also, the ATO LES developed new Korean-buyer contacts for ATO Seoul who expressed desire to use ATO services to improve their results at this trade show in the future.

Korean Seafood Trade Mission to Seafood Expo North America 2016 Leads to $25.8 million in Potential Export Sales

ATO Seoul recruited mission members and coordinated the visit of 6 Korean seafood importers to the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) held in Boston, MA, March 6-8, 2016. The program allowed the importers to meet suppliers of various American seafood products and to gain a better understanding of the U.S. seafood sector. According to the mission participants surveyed right after the activity, the trade mission resulted in $25.8 million of potential purchases from U.S. seafood suppliers over the next 12 months. In calendar year 2015, Korea imported $233 million of U.S. seafood, up 5 percent from $222 million in 2014.