SSGA joins USDA trade mission to Vietnam

SSGA, the U.S. Identity Preserved Alliance, joined a group of 23 industry associations, 36 companies and nine state departments of agriculture as the USDA Agribusiness Trade Mission to Vietnam began on Monday in Ho Chi Minh City.

Manager of Strategic Programs Shane Frederick and IP Technical Advisor Hoa Huynh are representing SSGA this week, promoting SSGA member businesses and the U.S. Identity Preserved assurance program and label, during the event, which moves north to Hanoi on Wednesday.

Frederick and Huynh are meeting with food manufacturers and buyers, including a lunch with Vinamilk on Monday. Vinamilk was a gracious host two years ago when SSGA held an international launch of the U.S. Identity Preserved brand in Ho Chi Minh City. That event prompted Vinamilk’s research and development to begin inquiring about and sampling U.S. Identity Preserved soybeans for its products.

Vietnam is the United States’ 10th-largest export market, and the U.S. is Vietnam’s third-largest supplier of agricultural products. According to speakers at the trade mission’s plenary session, Vietnamese consumers are often on the lookout for high-quality, premium products, including those of U.S. origin or with U.S. ingredients, despite higher prices for those American products due to tariffs and other factors. Food safety and hygiene are growing concerns for consumers.

Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia holds immense opportunity for U.S. exporters, with rising consumer incomes, growing middle class populations and favorable perceptions of U.S. food and agriculture. In 2023, the United States exported $3.1 billion of agricultural products to Vietnam. As the third-largest supplier of food and farm products to Vietnam, the United States holds sizable market share across several categories, including bulk commodities such as cotton, soybeans and distillers grains, as well as consumer-oriented products such as tree nuts, dairy, poultry and fresh fruit.

Besides meeting with buyers and connecting with other organizations doing business in the region, the trade mission gives SSGA a chance to hear detailed market briefings from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service staff covering Vietnam, as well as Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar, along with industry experts and government contacts.

The trade mission is being led by Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

More information: https://fas.usda.gov/newsroom/usda-trade-mission-expand-ag-exports-vietnam-southeast-asia