New York, June 10 (CNA) Taiwan has teamed up with a Korean-owned supermarket chain in the United States to promote Taiwanese food products by unveiling "the Taiwan Food Festival" in the store's outlets on Friday.
The week-long festival kicked off in four H Mart supermarkets, the largest supermarket specializing in Asian foods in the U.S. with more than 50 stores in 11 states.
On display were quality Taiwan food items aimed at polishing the image of Taiwanese edible products and boosting the sector's global visibility, according to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the Taiwan government's mission to the United States in the absence of diplomatic ties.
Taiwan's food industry has set its sights on the U.S. market, and has been trying hard to ship more of its products there since the U.S. has become one of the most important buyers of Taiwanese food exports.
Statistics released by the Taipei representative office showed that Taiwan ships some US$7.4 billion in food products worldwide a year, and the U.S. accounts for about 10 percent of the sales, making it the the fourth largest importer of Taiwan food products.
The Taipei representative office said that Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and the government sponsored Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) spent about a year to strike a deal with H Mart to hold the Taiwan Food Festival in both the east and west coast of the U.S., as well as in Texas.
The festival opened in H Mart's Edison store in New Jersey and has been simultaneously held in three other outlets in Burlington, Massachusetts; Diamond Bar in California's Los Angeles city, and Plano, Texas.
In the opening ceremony, Chen Feng-yu, deputy director of the Taipei representative office in New York, said that the exhibition would make Taiwanese food items shine in the U.S. market by demonstrating the unique culture and characteristics of Taiwan's food industry.
The festival has four major themes in its exhibition: frozen food provided by various firms such as I Mei Foods Co. and LongFong Foods; sauce products, such as Kimlan soy sauce and Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor's rice wine; beverages like HeySong's soda drinks; and snacks and deserts, including E.G. Sain's honey cakes.
Su Cheng-chuan , head of TAITRA's office in New York, said that he believed the cooperation with H Mart will be able to help Taiwan's food industry extend its reach in the U.S. market.
H Mart opened its first outlet in New York's Queens district in 1982 and currently operates a total of 51 stores in the U.S. The supermarket chain is planning to open another 12 outlets by the end of this year.
The supermarket chain has become one of the stepping stones for Asian food firms to enter the U.S. market. (Courtesy of CNA)
