By: Clover Chang, U.S. Grains Council Director in Taiwan

With a stable but rapidly aging population in Taiwan, healthy living is becoming increasingly important. This creates an opportunity for U.S. barley because according to U.S. research, beta-glucan found in U.S. barley has heart healthy properties, such as reducing cholesterol.

When the U.S. Grains Council’s Taiwan office initially began promoting these heart-healthy properties of U.S. barley, these qualities were entirely unknown in Taiwan. Slowly but surely, however, thanks to public awareness partnerships with Taiwanese and U.S. groups, interest in beta-glucan U.S. barley has grown.

This past month, for example, the Council partnered with Tay-I Flour Mill Co. Ltd. to introduce the advantages of U.S. barley as food at National Pintung University of Science and Technology’s department of food science. About 40 professors and students learned about these characteristics and advantages of beta-glucan barley and how it is related to a healthy lifestyle.

These professors and students are key influencers in the food industry in Taiwan. Barley is gaining visibility, and it should be considered a success to educate these noteworthy people in the Taiwanese food barley industry about the heart-healthy advantages of U.S. barley.