Considered the largest international event for the food and hospitality industries in Asia, more than 37,000 trade visitors attended FHA2004 held from April 20 to 23 at the Singapore Expo. Of these visitors, 36 percent came from overseas. A total of 2,714 companies from over 60 countries exhibited at the six halls of the 60,000 square-meter venue.
"We are very proud of the comprehensive showcase at FHA2004 and the quality of buyers that visited the exhibition," says Singapore Exhibition Services project director (lifestyle events) Ben Wong. "Judging from the success of FHA2004, we are confident that FHA2006 will flourish with an even stronger showcase to answer the needs of Asia’s burgeoning food and hospitality industry."
FHA2004 covers seven specialized shows, namely FoodAsia, Wine&SpiritsAsia, HotelAsia, HospitalityTechnology, HospitalityStyleAsia, BakeryAsia and the FHA Culinary and Imperial Challenges, with each show catering specifically to the needs of individual sectors.
Singapore Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo says in his speech during the opening of FHA2004, "In the coming years, the food and hotel business will become much more important in the Asia Pacific. According to forecasts by Euromonitor, the retail sales of food products in the Asia Pacific will reach US$1.2 trillion in 2004. Singapore has a growing base of enterprising food manufacturers. With strong links to many Asian markets, food product entrepreneurs in Singapore are well-positioned to capture a slice of this lucrative industry."
Singapore Exhibition Services chief executive Stephen Tan says in his speech, "Over the past 26 years, FHA has evolved to cater specifically to the rapidly growing needs of various food and hospitality sectors covering food and drinks, wine and spirits, catering and foodservice, bakery and confectionery, as well as hospitality technology and furnishing.
He adds, "The fact that FHA has been registering continual steady growth for the 14th time since its inception in 1978 attests to the value of the show in matching suppliers with buyers in the food and hospitality industry."
The Philippines has improved participation at FHA2004, with a 12-company contingent organized by the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion under the Department of Trade and Industry.
One of the first-time participating firms at FHA2004 is Mega Fishing Corp., manufacturer of Mega Sardines. Although its main business is in the operations of fishing fleets, it branched out into manufacturing with its sardine brand.
"It’s our first time to go into exports," says Mega Sardines CEO/president William Tiu Lim. "It’s the best way to bring the dollars into our country."
One firm that is banking on the popularity of seafood preparations is Seachamp. While it has distributors in Singapore, East Asia, Canada and the United States, it is moving closer to home, targeting Filipinos around the world. It exports milkfish- and squid-based items, stuffed crab shells, fish relleno and squid rolls.
"Seachamp’s products offer an alternative for busy housewives," says Seachamp vice president for operations and marketing Anna Marie G. Sy. "Children like our squid rolls, seafood longganisa and calamari sticks. Our research and development team has been working with the market, developing new products like seafood rings, nuggets and popcorn. We have more than 20 food items available now, including soups."
While its product line has had some following abroad, it is only now that the Filipino market has come to appreciate seafood-based food items.
"In the Philippines, many consumers are now turning to seafood because they are now health- conscious," Sy adds.
A niche market that is gaining exposure in Filipino and ethnic Asian stores around the world is MoonDish’s line of ready-to-eat vegetable dishes, like Bicol express, laing, guinataang puso ng saging and camansi. All their products are available in a vegetarian variety, with tuna flakes or in traditional preparations.
MoonDish’s Ana Renee Manrique says their products are already available in Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Their canned laing, which has been available for export for more than a year now, is popular with the Filipino communities in the Middle East, Japan, Canada, the United States and Australia. To exploit the range of possibilities with laing, it also offers a cookbook offering various ways it may be incorporated into possible dishes.
"We see the Filipino communities abroad as our stepping stone into the market, since Filipinos have the same taste as most Asians," says Manrique.
Carica Herbal Health Products Inc. is another newcomer in the export market, bringing with it its virgin coconut oil, banaba supplement and tea, papaya enzyme candy and its Nutrivim herbal juice, its version of the Tahitian Noni juice.
"The Noni juice market is still growing, because there is a growing demand for it in Japan, Korea and the United States," says Carica’s Maria Isabel Tan.
Another emerging product is virgin coconut oil, which is healthier for the body because it is easy to metabolize.
Also experiencing growth in the world market is La Pacita Biscuits.
La Pacita vice president for marketing Manuel V. Martinez Jr. says that although its cookies are positioned as a traditional or ethnic bakery product in many Oriental stores in the United States, it has penetrated the Taiwanese market with its garlic toast.
In the Middle East, its cracklets and mamon tostado are also in great demand. "We can’t meet the demand for mamon tostado in the Middle East," he says.
RFM Corporation is also intensifying its presence in the export market with its Selecta brand of tropical juices. Flavors include buko, orange, lemon and tutti-frutti.
Also launched at FHA2004 was Tasty Singapore, a new brand identity to promote Singapore’s food manufacturing sector and Singapore’s food and beverage retail industry. The effort is initiated by International Enterprise Singapore, in collaboration with the Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Federation and the Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association.
Likewise, Nanyang Technological University and Cornell University School of Hotel Administration have announced its plan to jointly set up a Singapore campus to conduct post-graduate degree courses and executive development programs.
This early, SES is already preparing for Food&HotelVietnam2004 (FHV), to be held from Dec. 2 to 4 at the Ho Chi Minh International Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Modeled along the lines of FHA, the new FHV replicates FHA’s essential ingredients for success: Fresh and processed food, wine and spirits, bakery ingredients and equipment, foodservice and hotel equipment, furnishing and supplies, hospitality technology and systems.