soybean field

USSEC Organizes 1st U.S. Soy Ambassador Award Presentation Ceremony in Japan

Staff from FAS, Satonoyuki Shokuhin, Zentoren (National Tofu Federation), and USSEC
Staff from FAS, Satonoyuki Shokuhin, Zentoren (National Tofu Federation), and USSEC

USSEC organized the 1st U.S. Soy Ambassador Award ceremony to present the inaugural U.S. Soy Ambassador Award in Japan. The U.S. Soy Ambassador recognizes a tofu producer who won the national tofu competition using 100 percent U.S. soybeans. The first recipient of this award in Japan was Shigeru Ueda, CEO of Satonoyuki Shokuhin.

Allison Thomas, Acting Associate Administrator and General Sales Manager, FAS, and Shigeru Ueda, President of Satonoyuki
Allison Thomas, Acting Associate Administrator and General Sales Manager, FAS, and Shigeru Ueda, President of Satonoyuki

Satonoyuki Shokuhin was founded by Mr. Ueda’s father in 1961 and now consists of six separate companies that focus on not only food production and distribution but also machine manufacturing and high-tech packing development.
Mr. Ueda traveled to Tokyo with his wife and met with U.S. Embassy officials, representing U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, to deliver samples of his award winning tofu, Kokutoro. After presenting his tofu and participating in a press conference for the Japan food trade media, Mr. Ueda was honored in an award reception and dinner hosted by USSEC. During the award ceremony, Mr. Ueda expressed his appreciation for the high quality soybeans he receives from the U.S. and how his close relationship with U.S. suppliers and growers assures a consistent supply of premium soybeans that are best suited for his company. Mr. Ueda also stated that USSEC has been leading the world in promoting sustainable soybeans, which he said is a remarkable step towards achieving sustainability in our society and environment. “With the shared vision for a sustainable world, we are ready to make every endeavor to support the expansion of U.S. soybeans,” he said.

Paul Burke, USSEC Regional Director – North Asia and Mr. Ueda are both wearing caps of their respective universities, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Satonoyuki Shokuhin produces tofu that originates from soybeans in the “thumb” region of MIchigan
Paul Burke, USSEC Regional Director – North Asia and Mr. Ueda are both wearing caps of their respective universities, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Satonoyuki Shokuhin produces tofu that originates from soybeans in the “thumb” region of Michigan.

At the end of the ceremony, participants tasted three tofu dishes made with the rich and creamy winning tofu, Kokutoro. The recipes developed by a restaurant chef include vegan tofu tartare, avocado and tofu moose cocktail, and tofu pudding Hong Kong style.
Japan, the largest consumer of tofu products made with U.S. Soy, used nearly 477,000 metric tons (MT) of non-GMO identity preserved (IP) soybeans in 2015. USSEC Japan will continue to support Japan’s tofu industry in coordinated with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Tokyo and Agricultural Trade Office (ATO) by establishing a U.S. Soy Sustainability Ambassador Award in the 3rd National Tofu Competition, which will be held at the Tofu Summit in Tokyo in December 2017. The award ceremony will be combined with the U.S. Soy Sustainability Ambassador Award winner in the 22nd National Natto Competition.

2.Tasting time: the tofu dishes made with the winning tofu, Kokutoro, are sampled. The first dish is vegan tofu tartare
Tasting time: the tofu dishes made with the winning tofu, Kokutoro, are sampled. The first dish is vegan tofu tartare.