By: Tommy Hamamoto, U.S. Grains Council Director of Japan

While Japan has long been a mature and stable market, there are still opportunities for growth. The potential demand for U.S. sorghum to be used for food is one example. Aware of this potential market, the U.S. Grains Council has been promoting the development of new health food products made from U.S. sorghum in Japan.

To advance this effort, the Council has been strengthening its ties with the U.S. Embassy Foreign Agricultural Services and Agricultural Trade Office in Japan through participating in events to promote U.S. sorghum for food uses. In June, the U.S. Embassy Foreign Agricultural Services and Agricultural Trade Office hosted the Patisserie and Boulangerie Show in Tokyo. The Council’s booth drew more than 100 potential customers as it showcased a line of sorghum flour products as well as granola and cereal products that used puffed sorghum.

This month, the Council will attend two more events hosted by the Embassy. ATO Japan’s Great American Barbecue Trade Showcase is this week, followed by ATO Osaka American Cooking Seminar/Demonstrations on July 17. Each event will target more than 150 potential buyers and highlight the variety of ways to use U.S. agricultural commodities, including sorghum.

While the Council continues to serve loyal Japanese customers of U.S. coarse grains and co-products for feed use, recent research such as the Food 2040 report suggests that the future outlook for Japan may feature a greater diversification of markets. Japan is an affluent, aging and highly health conscious country in which there will be a large population that will seek an increased amount of safe, specialized and health-oriented food products. Using U.S. sorghum in Japanese food products has the potential to help meet this growing demand. The Council plans to continue its educational efforts in Japan for U.S. sorghum as a specialty grain to be used in food products.