Japanese Consumers Pick U.S. Beef Above The Rest  |  Wednesday, September 13, 2006

When given the choice of American, Japanese and Australian beef, consumers at a Tokyo beef event Sunday chose the U.S. variety.

The event was held at Shinjuku station, the busiest train station in the world, to spread the message “Beef Itself Is Safe” to consumers. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) was there to emphasize its “We Care” campaign, designed to regain consumer trust and build a positive image of U.S. beef.

The Metropolitan Meat Trade Association, which represents about 1,500 Tokyo butcher shops, sponsored the event, which featured 500 free samples of beef each from the United States, Japan and Australia. 

U.S. beef was the first to “sell out” and its booth attracted the most consumer attention. “U.S. beef is very delicious and I am happy U.S. beef is back,” one consumer said.

The event was covered by all key Japanese television news outlets as reporters interviewed consumers at the event. “It was interesting to note that although the event was sponsored by Japanese meat groups and attended by Australia, almost all of the coverage focused on U.S. beef and the reporting was very favorable,” USMEF Japan Director Greg Hanes said.

TV-Asahi, usually reporting how Japanese consumers will not eat U.S. beef, reported Sunday that American beef was the most popular.

As consumer response and media reports turn favorable, more and more U.S. beef is making its way through customs checks without incident and finding its way to store shelves or yakiniku restaurants before being quickly snapped up by Japanese consumers.

“We Care” Events Continue
At the Tokyo event, USMEF distributed more than 1,500 fans and balloons featuring the “We Care” logo. USMEF continues its “We Care” campaign next week with a beef caravan visiting several Japanese cities to conduct seminars, strengthening buyers’ understanding of the positive aspects of using U.S. beef.

For consumers, “We Care” barbecues begin next week to provide opportunities for families to taste U.S. beef again. USMEF will provide food, drinks and entertainment to consumers in the local areas to build goodwill at a grass roots level, encouraging families to enjoy U.S. beef.

USMEF also has planned a reception Sept. 19 at the premier Hotel Okura for trade members and key influencers to thank them for their loyalty to U.S. beef. A renowned Texas chef will help prepare a special dinner featuring U.S. beef.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, lamb, corn, sorghum and soybean checkoff programs.

Source: USMEF

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