September 20, 2010

Japan's July meat consumption dips amid summer heat

Japan's beef consumption in July declined by 7% on-year to 69,816 tonnes, while pork consumption also eased by 4% to 134,838 tonnes, according to the Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation of Japan, ALIC.

Consumers seem to have opted for cold beverages, sushi and noodles over meat in response to the extraordinary heat.

Imported and Japanese domestic beef consumption in July decreased 8% from 2009 to 41,050 tonnes, and 6% to 28,766 tonnes, respectively.

In the case of imported beef, subdued consumer spending and an increase in import costs due to the robust Australian dollar is likely to have further slowed beef consumption.

Retail prices for Australian beef in July averaged around 5%-15% higher compared with the same time last year, with the exception of chucks. Over 70% of imported beef in Japan is sourced from Australia.

Chicken consumption data was not available, however, the trade estimates that consumption in July was stable, based on import volumes and the end-of-the-month stock levels.