OVERSEAS markets such as the United States and Europe offer 'great potential' for Singapore food business, according to Lewis Cheng, general manager of Prima Food.

'As Asian food is growing rapidly in terms of popularity and acceptance level, there are pockets of opportunities for Singapore cuisine to be introduced in a big way in these markets,' he says.

Prima Food, which offers 'premium quality, authentic Singapore favourites in ready-to-cook pastes and pre-mixes' under the Prima Taste brand, has expanded beyond Singapore with its restaurants, retail food products and food service solutions.

The Singapore-based company now has a presence in 25 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Romania and the US.

'The restaurants are being established overseas through franchising,' Mr Cheng says. 'The retail and food service packs are exported via appointed distributors or restaurant franchisees.'

The Prima Taste line of products has been picked by International Enterprise Singapore as one of the pioneer Tasty Singapore Food Ambassadors to promote Singapore's 'unique food identity' worldwide.

Mr Cheng sees Prima's presence in the developed markets as 'important regions we need to reach out so that more people in the world will be able to experience and enjoy Singapore food'.

The responses to Prima in these markets have been 'very encouraging so far', according to him.

'Buoyed by the positive responses, we hope to venture further beyond ethnic retail stores and establish an even stronger foothold in the mainstream markets in the near future,' Mr Cheng says.

The company has scored some success in Australia where its Prima Taste products are found on the shelves of Woolworth's, the country's largest food retailer.

Mr Cheng says that the recession has made it 'more challenging' for Prima in overseas markets because customers find prices of its products on the high side.

'As our products comprise high premium quality ingredients, our relatively higher retail prices have put us at a slight disadvantage against our competitors,' he says.

'However, we are addressing this issue through conducting 'live' demonstrations and promotion campaigns for consumers to encourage them to try our products and have a better understanding of the sheer quality and excellent flavours in Prima Taste products.'

This article was first published in The Business Times .