Date Posted: 1/11/2002The American Soybean Association (ASA) was disturbed to learn from a newsarticle that it was working with the Malaysian Palm Oil Promotion Council(MPOPC) to develop a branded margarine product since there is no suchjoint effort.ASA Chief Executive Officer Stephen Censky said, "The ASA is not engagedin any joint collaborative efforts with the Malaysian Palm Oil PromotionCouncil, and is not involved in any efforts to develop a soy-palm blendedproduct of any kind."The news article, published in a Jan. 4, 2002, Business Times (Malaysia)via NewsEdge Corporation article, was based on an interview with MPOPCChief Executive Officer Datuk Haron Siraj.When contacted this week by ASA Southeast Asia Regional Director JohnLindblom, Haron said he recognized the article was inaccurate and he saidthat the reporter had misinterpreted what he said. Haron told Lindblomthat the margarine product was developed by a U.S. company with input fromMPOPC. Haron said he had already contacted the newspaper about theinaccuracy.ASA is a membership organization that represents 25,000 U.S. soybeanproducers.