Soy Flour makes its way into noodle production in Cambodia

July 14, 2010

Courtney and I continue on our travels and this leg of the trip brings us to Phnom Penh, Cambodia where we met with our partners at International Relief and Development (IRD). We prepare for the upcoming seminar to be held at the Men Sarun Noodle Company. We will be providing technical assistance to local tofu manufacturers with a focus on food safety. We are also working together with IRD and the noodle manufacturing companies to incorporate soy flour into noodle production. The soy flour not only increases the protein content of the noodle, but it also gives the dough an elasticity that aids in processing and production.

July 15, 2010

We co-hosted a Soy Nutrition in Human Health Workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for local industry and government representatives. We gave presentations about the benefits of soy for human nutrition throughout life as well as presentations focused on soy applications in local food products. It was a great opportunity to share the value of soy with a new audience in Cambodia.
The seminar took place at the Men Sarun's riverside facility. What an outstanding processing plant and this Cambodian location is in a beautiful part of the country. The scenery was breathtaking. Men Sarun Noodle Company is growing rapidly and we were able to visit the construction site of their new expansion. We also visited the noodle processing plant and were very impressed with the efficiency and outstanding manufacturing processes. After the seminar, we met with our collaborators and discussed the projects and next steps.

July 16, 2010

We had the opportunity to visit the offices of International Relief and Development to discuss programs in the region. There seems to be many ways we can support each other in our efforts to improve the nutrition of the people of Cambodia.

The trip has turned out to be extremely worthwhile. The seminars, workshops and meetings all show promise for using soy in local recipes, baking applications and noodle production now and in the future. Soy has gained a fooothold in Vietnam and Cambodia and we hope to see continued growth and carry on our projects with local partners and collaborators.

All the best,

Bridget