James H. Sumner
President, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council
James H. Sumner has served as President of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) since February 1990.
USAPEEC is a non-profit membership organization, which represents approximately 210 of the leading poultry processing companies, trading companies, and affiliated organizations involved in exporting. The Council, as a cooperator with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is responsible for the worldwide promotion of U.S. poultry and egg products and maintains offices in 13 foreign countries. The Council also represents the industry in various trade policy and other export-related issues.
Jim has been appointed by the past six Secretaries of Agriculture and U.S. Trade Representatives to serve on either the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) or the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC). He currently serves on the APAC under appointment by U. S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. These committees provide industry input for various international trade issues and WTO negotiations.
Prior to joining the USAPEEC staff, Jim served as Director of Corporate Communications for Dairymen, Inc., a regional milk market cooperative, and as Director of Marketing for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
A journalism graduate of Southern Illinois University, Jim has done postgraduate studies at Temple University. A native of southern Illinois, Jim and his wife Ann have two sons and a daughter and reside in Covington, Ga., near Atlanta.
Wide interest in Japan for products like turkey, processed eggs, and chicken products make it a very appealing market for U.S. poultry exports.
Around the world, the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) promotes exports of American poultry, often in the form of chicken leg quarters ("dark meat"). However, wide interest in Japan for additional products like turkey, processed eggs, and other chicken products make it a very appealing market to us.
Our products include powdered, liquid, and frozen products made from whole eggs, egg whites, and egg yolks. Characteristics include longer shelf life, less kitchen staff time spent breaking eggs, reduced damage, and increased food safety in the kitchen environment. The products are real eggs, and retain the nutritional value and flavor characteristics of their more vunerable shell egg counterparts. USAPEEC introduces new professional end-users directly to the fantastic benefits of these products, and we’ve had notable success especially in the Japanese bakery and deli industries.
Japan is also the top export market for U.S. processed egg products. USAPEEC Japan works creatively throughout the year on expanding awareness of them. We introduce American processed egg products directly to the hotel, restaurant bakery, and confectionary industries by provide targeted educational seminars. These popular workshops highlight the foodservice benefits, safety, and cost value of using the processed egg products.
USAPEEC produces annual turkey and chicken recipe books, which introduce versatile U.S. turkey into Japanese cuisine and provides new ideas for chicken. The increasingly-popular recipe book is developed by working with well-known and influential Japanese chefs. Food is an essential part of Japanese culture, and chefs are held in high regard. USAPEEC Japan's relationships and close work with these popular trend-setting chefs help spread knowledge of our products to a wide audience.
Japan's vibrant food media kept well-informed by USAPEEC throughout the year. The USAPEEC media press luncheon, held in Tokyo each year, is where the press members are able to taste and learn more about many of the U.S. products themselves.
