Wheat farmers in the United States and consumers in Japan share a special relationship built on trust and mutual respect cultivated over the past 70 years. As a result, Japan is one of the largest and loyal markets for U.S. wheat, importing roughly half of its wheat needs from the United States. Maintaining this market means keeping Japanese government officials and millers informed about wheat availability and quality, and having ongoing, curious conversations about concerns, including the unintended presence of soybeans in wheat shipments to Japan.
In mid-December, a high-level Japanese delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF), along with representatives from the Japanese Flour Millers Association (JFMA), traveled to the West Coast to discuss strengthening the supply chain and continuing to deliver stable, high-quality wheat shipments.
Japanese government officials have expressed concerns about soybean admixture in wheat shipments, referring to the unintentional presence of small amounts of soybeans or soybean pieces in bulk shipments of wheat. This foreign material (FM) is monitored according to strict quality control standards, as regulated by USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), and is an inadvertent result of farm equipment, storage facilities or transportation units (such as trucks, railcars or shipping holds) handling both bulk commodities.
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