The heart health claim approval in the United States for specific food barley varieties opens opportunity to increase U.S. exports of food barley to Japan where both traditional consumption of barley food products and increasing health concerns of the aging population already exist. The U.S. Grains Council, the leading export market development organization for corn, barley, sorghum and their co-products, works with the local Japanese industry to show the nutritional characteristics of U.S. food barley and to expand market opportunities for special U.S. food barley varieties that contain high levels of beta-glucan. 

This week, Chef Chinami Hamauchi introduced her “Healthy Gyo-za� recipe which includes a U.S. barley product called “Soup-de-taberu-Mugi� on a Japanese TV cooking program titled “Okazu-no-Cooking.� Gyo-za is a popular Japanese fried dumpling recipe passed through generations. Chef Hamauchi explained that the U.S. barley product is rich in beta-glucan and that the Gyo-za, including U.S. barley as a main ingredient, is healthy with 23 percent fewer calories than conventional Gyo-za. Also she mentioned that the barley product is easy to handle, can be preserved after boiling and has a delicious texture characteristic to waxy barley.

After the program was broadcasted, the Council’s Tokyo office received many inquires about the product. The cooking program will be repeatedly broadcasted on nine local TV stations throughout Japan in April and May.