Japan: Key market for U.S. variety meats, high quality cuts

Twenty-one representatives of the beef, pork, corn and soy sectors traveled to Japan last week to see firsthand the promotion of U.S. red meat in the market by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

The delegation, known as the USMEF Heartland Team, received market briefings from U.S. Embassy and USMEF staff, spoke with students at a culinary school, viewed U.S. product displays in retail outlets, visited a beef tongue processing facility, a wagyu farm and witnessed a beef carcass auction at the Tokyo Meat Market.

Japan is a key market for exports of variety meats, especially beef tongue, a highlight noted by cattle producer Mark Goes, who was on the trip representing the Nebraska Beef Council.

"Tongue product is everywhere, right down to tongue flavored pretzels," Goes says. "And so Japan imports a tremendous amount of tongue from the United States, and they have learned to utilize it to where it's favored over ribeye steak for them, the tongue is a standard and a staple for them here. And so I knew of that issue before, but to see it firsthand and the magnitude with which it's ingrained into the society, it's just incredible."

The Japanese market values quality over price, a characteristic that sets the standard for U.S. pork production, according to Missouri pork producer Jesse Heimer.

"Relative to quality, Japan actually sets the standard in the United States," Heimer says. "The quality standard at every plant is based on the color expectation that the Japanese customer wants. And believe it or not, our highest quality pork loins, much of our highest quality pork, ends up in this market here in Japan. And that expectation for quality is the standard in our country for export. And the opportunity to be face-to-face, hand-to-hand, with our customer here in Japan, the consumer, the Japanese consumer that really appreciates our product, appreciates American pork. It was a great opportunity to see that relationship firsthand and understand that probably wouldn't be possible without our partnership with USMEF."

USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom says that's why it's important to bring producers to markets like Japan to share how U.S. product is raised

"We have to continue to tell that story about quality and how we're different, and I think having producers here in the marketplace, seeing the importance of that - that's worth the value of the trip itself," Halstrom says.

Japan is the leading export market for U.S. beef by volume, totaling 149,051 metric tons through July of this year at a value of $1.2 billion. It is the number three market for U.S. pork exports at 208,121 metric tons with a value of $846 million through July.