February 15, 2012

Japan's 2011 beef consumption stable

Japan's beef consumption is estimated at  862,330 tonnes in 2011, up 1.2% from 2010 and the highest since Japan banned US beef in 2003 due to BSE, data by Japan's Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation showed.

Consumption of imported beef in 2011 increased 4% on-year, to 513,731 tonnes, exceeding the 500,000 tonnes mark for the first time since 2003. The increased volume was largely due to higher beef imports from the US (up 32% from 2010), at the cost of Australia's market share, particularly in the chilled beef segment.

Yet, Australian beef continued to underpin Japanese beef requirements, responding to strong demand from the fast food and processed food, as well as retailers.

Australian beef occupied 39% of the total beef market in Japan in 2011, down two percentage points from 2010. Japanese produced beef claimed 40% (down 2 percentage points on-year), with the US at 14% (up four percentage points).