December 01, 2003
Japan To Practice Beef Labelling To Revive Confidence in Consumers
The Japan agriculture ministry is cracking down on the cash cow that is brand-name beef.
Under regulations expected to go into effect next summer, labels on beef must state where the animal spent most of its life if the location differs from the region to which the brand name refers.
For example, the simple label "Omi beef" can only apply to meat from an animal born and raised for most of its life in Shiga Prefecture, the region for which the renowned brand is associated.
In cases where an animal was raised mostly elsewhere and then moved to Shiga Prefecture, labels must state where it spent the most time.
For cattle raised in Gifu Prefecture, for example, which is then shipped to Shiga Prefecture, the label on the resultant beef would say "Omi beef (Product of Gifu Prefecture).'' Similarly, beef from cattle born and raised mostly in Aomori Prefecture, then transported to Iwate Prefecture before shipment as top-notch Maesawa beef, would labeled "Maesawa beef (Product of Aomori Prefecture).''
The Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' decision to alter labeling regulations intends to revive flagging consumer confidence in beef. Beef sales slumped following the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in September 2001. Consumer confidence further eroded with a series of mislabeling scandals and irregularities under the government's beef buyback program.
Under the current system, definitions for the roughly 190 brand names of beef can be misleading.
A calf born and raised in Miyazaki Prefecture until it is 9 months old, then moved in Gifu Prefecture for 19 months, fattened for just three months in Shiga Prefecture and shipped from there for processing can currently be labeled "Omi beef.'' Under the new rules, it would be labeled "Omi beef (Product of Gifu Prefecture).''
Similarly, blue-ribbon cattle from other prefectures are only sent to Shiga Prefecture for fattening to qualify to carry the prestigious Omi beef brand name, according to the association of Omi cattle and beef in Otsu.
Under current regulations, meat is branded Omi beef simply if it is shipped from the area.
In fact, about 30% of beef labeled under the Omi brand actually comes from cattle raised for long periods in other prefectures, Omi Beef Cattle Association officials say. Aware of the importance of providing consumers with accurate information, the association in February made it a rule to state the prefecture in which cattle were raised, as well as the Omi beef brand name on labels.
The association also urged wholesalers and retailers to follow suit, but the practice didn't catch on.
"These brands are expensive but many people buy them because they are considered safe,'' says the head of a Tokyo department store.
Under the Japan Agricultural Standard Law, labels on perishable foodstuffs must state the area where the product spent the longest period of its life. This is referred to on the label as the product's place of origin.
However under current laws, livestock such as pigs and cattle are treated differently. They need only be labeled as "domestic'' or "imported'' produce since the creatures often are moved around the country during the fattening process.
The ministry also plans to axe the current "three-month exemption'' rule, which allows even imported cattle to be labeled as domestic beef if the creatures have been fattened in Japan for at least three months. The rule was adopted due to the deep-rooted idea that the area in which cattle are fattened can determine the quality of the resultant meat.
This will be changed to fall in line with the basic rules of the Japan Agricultural Standard Law.
Toshiko Kanda, of the group Consumers Japan, welcomed the changes.
"Many consumers have bought beef based on misconceptions. If the prefecture where the cattle was raised for the longest period is included on the label, consumer confidence in beef will likely recover further.''
