A lucrative, expanding market for high-value whey ingredients exists in Japan, Korea and other nations, but U.S. exporters need to take a more proactive approach to reap the rewards, says a U.S. Dairy Export Council official.  Consumers want more healthy benefits from their foods despite economic problems.

Alan Hugunin, whey products specialist, told the USDEC annual board and membership meeting in Chicago the Japan and South Korea are focused on food ingredient costs because of sluggish economies, but consumers want more out of their foods than ever before.

“In Asia, it is a well accepted principle that specific food ingredients are used for specific nutritional purposes,” Hugunin said.  "Dairy ingredients possess the functional benefits that Asian consumers want in their foods.”

Ingredients such as dairy calcium, milk peptides and whey derivatives and isolates are in demand in bakeries, confectionery and beverage industries.  By 2000, world demand for high-value dairy ingredients should increase 10% over 1998 levels; by 2003, demand should be a full 25% greater than 1998, according to Hugunin.

However, he added, a more active role is needed by the United States to document that such dairy ingredients actually do provide nutritional benefits.  “We are so locked into this thinking that U.S. company A is competing against U.S. company B for sales that we are not recognizing some areas where we need to team up.  We need to work together and spend some research dollars to get to the point where we can document these claims.  If we can grow the entire market, it benefits everyone.”