While many students desire to travel abroad during their time in college, few have the opportunity. One student, fueled by a passion for understanding the global food system, seized the opportunity to use her training in milling and bakery sciences as she crossed the globe.  

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Anaya McCune is a fifth-year student studying both milling and bakery sciences with a secondary major in global food systems leadership. Throughout the spring and summer of 2023, she had the opportunity to travel to Taiwan, New Zealand and Japan.

 

Milling in New Lands

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In the spring of 2023, McCune traveled to Taiwan to meet with Council on Agriculture and Food. Discussions surrounding the global food supply and food security were the centerpieces of her week-long stay. McCune’s biggest takeaway from her trip was getting to see a larger perspective of the global food system. 

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“It was insightful to discuss the differences in our food systems from country to country. When you take away the differences, we all have one goal: to try and produce food for the world,” McCune says.

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Beginning in May of 2023, McCune started an international internship with Miller Milling Company in New Zealand and Japan. She arrived in New Zealand in June and spent the first four weeks on the South Island followed by time on the North Island.

 

During her eight-week internship, her main job was working with the operations team to help figure out how to be more efficient in their milling process and find ways to decrease waste. 

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“We looked at mill flows which evaluated processing by determining if we could get better extractions,” McCune says. “ To break it down, you have a little bit of flour from one kernel. We tried estimating how you can make more flour from one kernel.”

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McCune’s work focused on how to be able to produce more end-products from their small wheat source. 

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“New Zealand is so far removed from the supply chain, so a lot of their product is grown locally. Because of the difficulty in importing goods, they have a large focus on increasing the efficiency of their mills,” McCune says.  

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To conclude her internship, McCune then traveled to Tokyo, Japan. Though she was only there for a week, she was able to tour mills and have conversations about milling globally. She describes the Japanese mills as the most unique when compared to the mills in the U.S. and New Zealand. From different wheat genetics to climates and moisture contents, it all affects their extractions and extraction methods. 

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“What is interesting about Japan is their government purchases all their wheat. In Japan, it’s all about their relationship with their customers and the quality of the product,” McCune says. “They take a lot of pride in what they produce because that’s their only leverage since the market’s wheat prices are all the same.”

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McCune describes that the biggest difference between the U.S., New Zealand and Japan is in quality, as Japan places a significant focus on quality and cleanliness. 

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“Each county has different specifications based on their customers and cultures.  Japan has the most different culture surrounding food compared to the U.S. and New Zealand, thus, they focus heavily on quality and food safety,” McCune says. 

 

In addition to different ways of sourcing the wheat, the Japanese mills are incorporating vast amounts of technology into their milling and extraction process. McCune says that robots move a lot of the equipment around and many of the mills are entirely automated. Despite their intensive technology, they have even more people working in the mills because of the great focus on producing quality products. 

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Embracing Culture 

Beyond the hours spent in the mill, McCune learned to embrace the respective cultures in New Zealand and Japan, from taking in the sights to learning Aussie slang to attending a cultural celebration ceremony and trying all the different foods (her favorite part of the trip, she adds). She went into this experience with an open mind, embracing the native lifestyle every step of the way. 

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“There were so many different things to take in. I thought the food was delicious. Overall, I was surprised by the diversity in New Zealand. They have a lot of Mediterranean and Asian influences along with European,” McCune says. “Like the United States, it is like a melting pot. And the scenery there was beautiful.” 

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With her interest in bakery science, she says she was also inclined to try a few fresh treats.

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“I tried a doughnut in New Zealand which would be like a croissant in the U.S. and enjoyed the savory pies, which are popular on both the North and South Island. They all tasted good but savory pies were my favorite,” McCune says. 

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McCune says that savory pies are “hand-held” chicken pot pies that you can take anywhere and all the bread in stores is baked fresh. 

No matter where she journeyed, McCune embraced an open perspective, even when she might not have 100% known what she was trying. 

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“The food was a big culture shock in Tokyo. They eat a lot of fresh raw meat, but I was super excited to try things that I didn’t even know what they were. I will say, eel is my new favorite food,” McCune says. 

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McCune says the most significant part of all her trips was the people. She hopes to keep in touch with the friends she made.  

“It was so cool meeting all these amazing people. We can overcome our cultural differences and language barriers. It was special getting to build those relationships,” McCune says. 

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McCune describes this experience as truly humbling to be able to open herself up to so many different cultures and learn about the global food system. 

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“It was a remarkable experience being exposed to the food system globally and seeing how the global food trade works,” McCune says. 

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McCune highly encourages other students to take the opportunity to travel internationally. She offers this advice to others. 

“Well first, never forget your passport! Have fun and embrace the difference because you never know when you will get to experience something like this again,” McCune says. 

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She adds, “Embrace every aspect with an open mind by leaving any preconceived notions at the door and don’t be afraid to try new things.”

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To learn more about study abroad contact your academic adviser or visit the Education Abroad Office on campus or email overseas@ksu.edu.

 

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