RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Rising demand for healthy, plant‑based foods in the United States is opening new opportunities for Indonesian tempeh exports. Consumer interest in fermented plant‑based products positions tempeh as a potential champion product in the U.S. market.

This prospect emerged at the Summer Fancy Food Show (SFFS) in New York, where the Indonesian Ministry of Trade recorded potential transactions worth USD 8.3 million in processed food products.

Indonesian Trade Attaché in Washington, D.C., Ranitya Kusumadewi, said tempeh has one of the strongest prospects to penetrate the U.S. market.

“We are monitoring follow‑up actions from business matching during the exhibition to ensure potential transactions become export contracts. We see high buyer interest in tempeh alongside the growing plant‑based food trend in the United States,” Ranitya said in Jakarta on Friday, July 31, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

She noted that plant‑based diets, fermented foods, and healthy lifestyles are driving demand, creating opportunities for tempeh.

Ranitya stressed the importance of balancing buyer interest with business readiness by maintaining production capacity, supply consistency, quality standards, and effective marketing and packaging strategies to ensure sustainable exports.

At the SFFS, the Indonesian Pavilion featured six MSMEs showcasing products ranging from coffee, cocoa, and snacks to instant noodles, tempeh, coconut‑based foods, herbs, spices, honey, and palm sugar.

The United States is Indonesia’s second‑largest food export market after China. In 2025, Indonesian food exports to the U.S. reached USD 5.97 billion, a 14.06 percent increase from USD 5.23 billion in 2024. This accounted for 10.1 percent of Indonesia’s total global food exports, valued at USD 59.04 billion.

Over the past five years, exports to the U.S. have fluctuated: USD 5.62 billion in 2021, USD 6.03 billion in 2022, USD 4.96 billion in 2023, USD 5.23 billion in 2024, and USD 5.97 billion in 2025.

From January to May 2026, Indonesia’s total trade with the U.S. reached USD 18.44 billion, with exports at USD 12.73 billion and imports at USD 5.71 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of USD 7.02 billion. ***