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Human Food

With increase of population growth in Pakistan, it is not a food insecure country; it generally has the economic ability to import the required food. On average food consumption has crossed 150 Kg per person of cereals and pulses. In recent past years, per capita income has increased from $450 to $878 and recent shortage of wheat is creating competition in reducing the protein gap. Soy proteins have the opportunity to fill the gap.

In order to build preference for value added U.S. soy products, ASA-IM provided technical assistance and one-on-one consultations to a number of processed food manufacturers, nutraceutical, entrepreneurs, chefs of five star hotels, food technologists, and bread manufacturers.  ASA-IM collaborated with the Pakistan wheat flour milling industry and the bread and biscuits industry regarding incorporating U.S. defatted soy flour (DSF) in wheat milling and bakery products. 
A team of four food entrepreneurs, mainly bread manufacturers, were to have taken a customized course, “Soy with Baking”, in the United States, but in the event only one, Sheikh Javed Akhter, Director, M/s Ashrafi Foods-Karachi, was able to join (the remaining candidates did not get U.S. visas on time).  Following on the training, Mr. Javed resumed the import of containerized DSF from Cargill, Rapid Cedar, Iowa, a USSEC member.  During the US visit, Cargill provided a few samples of their newly developed special TSP (texturized soy protein) for use as a chicken meat analog.  Trials would be run at chicken meat processing plant/s to test the viability of this product in the Pakistan market.  In addition, other USSEC members were approached regarding expanding the market reach of their value enhanced soy products to Pakistan.
  
ASA-IM provided some assistance to The Solae Company, which began its operation in Pakistan in May 2007; test trials of TSP and isolated soy proteins with different food processors are undergoing.  ASA-IM also provided a medium scale ice cream manufacturer with information regarding use of soy proteins, and this manufacturer has gotten promising laboratory results with skimmed milk replacer (a Solae product). The leading sausage manufacturing unit in Pakistan, Euro-Frankfurter, has already started using Solae’s ISP and, it is estimated, its annual consumption will touch 24 MT.  ASA-IM motivated traders to import tetra packed soymilk, although it is being imported from South Africa and Thailand (in containers) rather than from the United States. To make the availability of bean based soymilk and tofu, the first SoyCow™ machine was installed by Season Foods in Pakistan, with training support from ASA-IM (it is hoped that such an effort will lead to the import of U.S. food grade soybeans).  Overall high tariff on soy product imports is a constraint to growing usage.