In early 2015, USSEC completed its soymilk promotion program for survivors of 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, which struck the islands of Leyte and Samar.
USSEC supported efforts by the United Soybean Board (USB) efforts to work with the Philippine Red Cross and Caritas Philippines, Inc., a Catholic NGO, to provide soymilk to survivors of 2013’s Typhoon Haiyan.
USSEC used its established relationships to reach across nations to follow through with the humanitarian project. Two Philippine companies Asia Brewery, Inc. (ABI) and Miracle Soybean Food International Corp., and Thailand’s Greenspot generously committed to helping the U.S. Soy industry with this project.
The mission, which ran between January and March of 2015, delivered thousands of cases of soymilk to Haiyan survivors. In all, about $100,000 worth of soymilk, or 232.416 liters of soymilk, was distributed to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan that devastated communities in Leyte and Iloilo. Approximately 80,000 children were served in Leyte and about 26,000 families were served in Iloilo.
Haiyan, which struck the Philippines in November 2013, was the strongest recorded typhoon in Philippine history, killing at least 6300 people in that country alone and leaving thousands homeless.
Checkoff funding provided the current customer base in the Philippines the ability to supply soyfood products for direct distribution to citizens impacted by Haiyan. Because USSEC has established relationships with the country’s soybean industry, USSEC-Philippines was asked to facilitate identifying current small business Philippine soy industry food processers, suppliers and distributors that purchase U.S. soybean, meal and oil, and had the most efficient location and distribution network to deliver to those in greatest need.
In order to comply with the requirements of the Act, Order and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, companies utilizing the reimbursement program were required to be existing customers, verify purchase history of U.S. soybeans and request prior approval from USSEC.
This project helps to ensure the economic vitality of small Philippine business owners that may be struggling during a challenging economic time, increase the value of the U.S. – Philippine relationship, increase demand for U.S. Soy through the Philippines’s value chain, and create possible new markets due to the introduction of different soyfoods to customers.