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Canada Brand Pavilion at Foodex Japan a hit with industry

Ottawa, March 2006 – All in all, Canadian exhibitors were more than pleased with the new Canada Brand pavilion at this year's Foodex Japan held near Tokyo from March 14-17.

“It looked very sharp. There was no mistaking the Canadian pavilion, I can tell you,” said Jacques Pomerleau, Executive Director of Canada Pork International. “It was completely different and a major improvement over last year. My members were very happy.”

It was Canada's 24th consecutive year at Foodex and the first time the new full Canada brand look and graphics – developed in partnership with industry and provinces – were incorporated into the pavilion.

Sylvie Chagnon, a fifth generation maple sugar producer from La Coulée d'Abbotsford Sugarbush Inc. in Quebec, was also enthusiastic. “The Canada pavilion was very spacious and airy. There was good flow-through traffic. We were well positioned and very happy with the space,” she said.

Amit Dutt, AAFC International Market Development Officer responsible for the Foodex Canada Pavilion, reported almost 2,500 exhibitors and close to 100,000 visitors attended the four-day event.

"The Canadian pavilion's live cooking demonstrations held each day were a huge hit with show visitors,” Dutt said. "Large crowds gathered around Chef Wayne Murphy as he spoke to them in Japanese while preparing his Asian-style recipes using Canadian ingredients. We couldn't have asked for a more successful event!"

In total, 38 Canadian companies and five industry associations were at Foodex this year.

It was the first time Carlos Costa of Ice Down Beverages, Vaughan, Ontario, attended the event. While there, a Japanese television consumer show on the benefits of oxygen featured a bottle of Costa's 02 Aqua, oxygenated water. “Within seconds sales went crazy! Cell phones were ringing and everyone wanted to order our product,” he said.

Costa estimates that of his $4 million projected retail sales to Japan this year—his number one and fastest growing market—one-quarter of them will be directly related to having attended Foodex.

“We're definitely going back next year,” Costa said.

Japan is Canada's top overseas export market for food and agriculture products. Pork leads the way, with an export value of $1.1 billion in 2005; oilseeds (canola and soybean) are second with over $900 million; and wheat is third, with an export value of almost $300 million, according to Statistics Canada.

Foodex Japan 2007 is scheduled for March 13 to 16, 2007 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, near Tokyo, Japan. Watch the Agri-Food Trade Service web site for upcoming information on this event.