US mad cow case stirs restaurants, shops in Japan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 24, 2003

US mad cow case stirs restaurants, shops in Japan

Restaurants and food retailers in Japan on Wednesday were rattled by news of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States, a major beef exporter to Japan.

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Restaurants and food retailers in Japan on Wednesday were rattled by news of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States, a major beef exporter to Japan.

With memories still fresh of the outbreak of the brain-wasting disease in Japan, public fears about beef safety are expected to mount anew and damage beef consumption.

Japan on Wednesday halted imports of US beef until their safetyis confirmed following the announcement Tuesday by the US government that it had found its first case of mad cow in Washington State.

Japan has reported nine cases of mad cow disease since 2001.

Restaurants, fast-food chains and supermarkets serving and selling US beef anticipate consumers will refrain from buying. Thefears come as Japan has entered the year-end and New Year holiday season.

According to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, 45 percent of about 240,000 tons in Japan's beef imports came fromthe United States in fiscal 2002. Of the total domestic beef consumption, US beef accounted for nearly one-fourth, or about 930,000 tons.

Yoshinoya D&C Co., a major Japanese beef-and-rice chain, said it is gathering information on the latest outbreak of mad cow disease. Ninety-nine percent of Yoshinoya's beef is from the United States.

Summit Inc., which operates 72 supermarkets in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the neighboring Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures, said it has removed US beef from its shelves.

Volks Inc., a steakhouse chain which operates 121 steakhouses in Tokyo, said it is considering increasing its Australian beef asnearly half of its beef is from the United States. Australia is another major exporter of beef to Japan.

Aeon Co., a leading supermarket operator, decided it will temporarily halt US beef sales and remove beef from its shelves.

Skylark Co., a major restaurant chain, was shocked but said most of its beef is Australian. Denny's Japan Co., another restaurant chain, said its beef is safe as it does not purchase any from the state of Washington.

Major supermarket chains such as Ito-Yokado Co. and Daiei Inc. said they plan to continue selling US beef, noting that their beefwas not produced in Washington State.

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