HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM — The Specialty Soya and Grains Alliance (SSGA) on Nov. 1 globally launched US Identity Preserved, its new international brand mark to designate premium crops with verifiable origins to build global awareness of the assurance plan for products derived from the US system.

SSGA and industry leaders gathered in Vietnam with buyers and food producers for the worldwide introduction of US Identity Preserved with a live-stream event at the Saigon Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

“(SSGA) is here today to announce a significant certification advancement for food manufacturers to consider when purchasing ingredients for their products,” said Eric Wenberg, executive director, SSGA. “We are excited to make this first official announcement in Vietnam because this is an important and growing market for high-quality foods that require high-quality ingredients.”

The US Identity Preserved quality assurance plan and brand mark advances the verification of trust, traceability and value for food manufacturers, processors and exporters, according to SSGA. Since the brand was unveiled to an American audience in December 2021, a dozen US companies have joined the program and are using the mark, with several more companies currently going through the application and qualification process.

“There’s real excitement about having a mark represent a very special segment of US agriculture and business,” said Shane Frederick, manager of strategic programs at SSGA. “The mark has purpose and value and assurances that back them up.”

The event attracted 75 officials from across the industry, including the American Soybean Association’s World Initiative in Soy and Human Health (WISSH), which brought a contingent to Vietnam from Myanmar. The international launch was co-sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, Wisconsin Marketing Board and Vinamilk, Vietnam’s largest dairy company.

“The U.S. Identity Preserved assurance plan and brand mark represents the strict protocols and careful attention to detail that are followed by processors and exporters of high-quality, identity preserved soybeans and grains from the United States,” said Nguygen Quoc Khanh, executive director of research and development with Vinamilk. “These are assurances of quality and food safety that Vinamilk seeks as we purchase the specific varieties of ingredients we require to efficiently manufacture our own high-quality, consistent products that our customers love.”

Presentations by SSGA on Nov. 2 will go further in depth on the quality, characteristics and performance customers can expect from specialty soybeans and grains from the United States with additional presentations on US Identity Preserved.