Boost for Indo-Japan food diplomacy

CHENNAI: An increasing shift to Japanese foods and dietary patterns could help address a wide range of health issues. This was the focus of a recent seminar on Japanese food products held in the city. The seminar, which also featured a business networking meet for Indian and Japanese businesses in the food sector, was aimed at boosting trade in food products between the two countries.Organised by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) just days after the prestigious India International Seafood Expo, the seminar underscored the potential for increased Indo-Japan food trade against the backdrop of the 60th year celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two Asian majors.“Japanese presence in India is on the rise. This is especially true of Tamil Nadu. Of the 812 Japanese companies in India, a majority are in this State. JETRO has opened an office in Chennai especially to address the vast number of queries from the region,” noted JETRO director general Shinya Fujii.Leena Nair, Chairman of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) of the Government of India, expressed her condolences to those who had lost their lives in the great East Japan Earthquake and resultant tsunami and noted that India was looking forward to increase trade with Japan’s seafood industry, which had largely taken a massive hit.Takayuki Kitagawa, Acting Consul-General of the Japanese Consulate in Chennai, reflected Nair’s views. He outlined the history of the global Japanese food boom. “Fact is, the Japanese food boom did not come out of Japan. It came out of the US around 30 years back. Japanese foods and dietary practices were healthy as it is, but especially against American food habits then. The US government was given studies that suggested a shift to Japanese foods,” he noted.“That helped the US cut its budgetary deficit as it helped slash health problems and in turn cutting the national health bill. I suggest this can be taken up here as well, to help Tamil Nadu slash its budgetary deficit. Indian foods are healthy overall, but they are oily. Japanese foods can address that,” he said.The seminar also featured three stalls – two vegetarian and one sushi – for the Indian businessmen to sample Japanese food products.