U.S. and Missouri soybean farmers’ profit potential stands to grow as the demand for U.S.poultry exports increase. A food safety seminar provides training on proper handling and storage of frozen and chilled U.S. poultry and aims to maintain consumer confidence and grow demand in the Philippine market.

Offer training and education as well as target the influential supermarkets and food service operators, including procurement supervisors, and other personnel in the frozen handling chain with the intent to develop more opportunities in this market.

Demonstrating to local in-country chefs and culinary students that frozen U.S. poultry tastes the same as fresh (chilled) local poultry.

Provide training on the proper handling and storage of frozen and chilled U.S. poultry products to maintain consumer confidence by ensuring that the products stay safe after entering the country.

Update:
The Philippines is an emerging market with a service-based economy, backed by an estimated population of 109.5 million inhabitants, on pace to reach 125 million by 2030. It is the ninth largest export market for U.S. agricultural products and its largest market for consumer-oriented products in Southeast Asia, reaching $3.1 billion in 2020 despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to USDA/FAS, this is up 7% from the 2019 level amid the health crisis that forced many countries to close their borders. This demand is driven mainly by higher fresh and frozen products from supermarkets, and growth of e-commerce and online grocery shopping. The food service sector, however, continues to grapple with mounting concerns over food safety, including lack of knowledge in product handling, poor logistics infrastructure, inadequate storage facilities, and frequent power outages.

Due to the global COVID health crisis, food retailers were suddenly inundated with click-and-collect orders and home deliveries. This unexpected high order volume not only placed pressures on e-fulfillment infrastructures, but also required renewed adherence to food safety best practices. Food retailers/grocers not only had to maintain proper temperature ranges during storage, packing, staging and delivery, but also follow proper sanitation and hygiene protocols for in-store customers and employees alike.

The planned food safety seminar aims to provide training on the proper handling and storage of frozen, ready-to-eat, and chilled U.S. poultry products to maintain consumer confidence, by ensuring that the products stay safe from entering the country to reaching the dining table. The two-day seminar will target influential supermarkets and food service operators, procurement supervisors, and other personnel in the frozen foods handling chain, as well as those in culinary institutions, with the intent to develop more opportunities in this market. The seminar will be conducted onsite in May 2021, possibly a virtual seminar due to the COVID situation.

Growth of U.S. poultry exports is particularly important as the poultry industry is the largest user of soybean meal among livestock groups.