SSGA Chair Bob Sinner presents at Asia Soy Excellence Summit

Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) growers and exporters listen to their customers and ultimately provide them with the specific varieties they need for their food products, Bob Sinner explained during  the U.S. Soybean Export Council’s (USSEC) inaugural Asia Soy Excellence Summit.

“The decision is yours, not ours,” said Sinner, SSGA chair and president of SB&B Foods. “Our responsibility Is to listen and to provide you options.”

Sinner represented SSGA and its member companies, presenting during the virtual event, which was the launch of the U.S. Soy Excellence Centre in Singapore. The audience included around 60 invited guests from several Asian countries – key stakeholders from the soy food and soy beverage industry.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the customer,” he said, “understanding what each food manufacturer wants in a variety.”

After an introduction from Hoa Huynh, SSGA I.P. technical adviser for Southeast Asia, Sinner explained how SSGA members work to meet customers’ needs throughout the I.P. process, including: research and testing, forward contracting, storage and shipping. He touched on challenges, such as the current container shipping crisis and urged the audience to plan ahead with suppliers to minimize the impact of those logistical issues. He also discussed opportunities such as the I.P. branding program that SSGA is undertaking.

Sinner praised the work being done on the Soy Excellence Centre, saying it “can be the vehicle to improve information exchanged between suppliers and buyers.”

Other avenues to improve that exchange of information, Sinner said, include Northern Crops Institute’s Soy Procurement Course for importers, which is scheduled to take place in October, and the U.S. Soyfood Variety Database.

Prior to Sinner’s presentation, Will McNair, USSEC’s director of oil and human protein, discussed the database as part of his talk on quality and sustainability. The database is a project led by several U.S. stakeholders, including USSEC and SSGA, and will act as a “catalogue” of soya varieties. It is scheduled to go live in 2021.

Following their talks, Sinner, McNair and presenters on consumer trends, nutrition and health, beverage processing, and innovation, participated in a Q&A panel discussion.

SSGA encourages all its members to take part in events such as this, as well as our organization’s own live and virtual events designed to educate the public, including potential buyers, about the I.P. system and industry. Members interested being presenters and sharing their expertise and experience can find more information as well as a short survey here.