March 26, 2004

Japan Welcomes 'Brand Canada' Pork

The Canadian Pork Council says the new 'Brand Canada' approach to promoting Canadian pork in Japan is being welcomed by Japanese retailers.

A pilot pork promotion, launched early this month targets newspapers and the subway system in Japan in an effort to build Japanese consumer awareness of Canadian pork.

Although Japan is Canada's second largest pork export market competition from Denmark, the US and even Australia is fierce.

Canadian Pork Council First Vice president Claire Schlegel says the Brand Canada promotion is, in part, a response to changes in Japanese product labeling requirements.

"They had their own version of COOL, partly because of the BSE situation their country faced in 2001 and now they're requiring the country of origin to be labelled on the product when it's sold in retail.

Retailers are choosing to minimize the complication and therefore probably have Japanese pork on their shelf and maybe pork from one other country so it's important that Canada has a large enough presence that we can get our pork on the retail store shelves.

This Brand Canada promotion runs complimentary to what Maple Leaf, Olymel, Quality Meat Packers and other exporters such as Sunterra are doing.

It's important because there are retailers up and down the street and the retailers want to provide a reason for customers to come into their store.

If Canada is seen as a favorable place to be buying product from and the consumer knows that they can buy Canadian pork in that store, perhaps that consumer will come and buy from Hanamasa instead of from another grocery retail chain in Japan".

Schlegel says response to the campaign is favorable and Japanese grocers are indicating they would like to see more of this type of promotion.