YURI KAGEYAMA/The Associated Press | Posted: Sunday, March 25, 2007 7:00 pm
TOKYO — Seiyu Ltd., the supermarket chain majority-owned by Wal-Mart, said Monday that some of its stores will start selling U.S. beef at a time when most major retailers in Japan are still worried about possible health hazards.
Seiyu, which operates about 400 stores nationwide, said in a statement about 20 stores in the region near Tokyo will sell U.S. beef beginning Saturday.
Japan banned American beef imports in December 2003 after the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S.
The ban was eased in December 2005, but tightened again the following month after prohibited spinal bones were found in a veal shipment.
Japan eased the restrictions again in July last year. It now allows only boneless meat from cows aged 20 months or younger because infection from mad cow disease is believed to occur only in older animals. Tokyo also limits imports to beef that has been through stringent checks at selected U.S. meat processing plants.
“We have worked very hard to make sure that safe U.S. beef is available once again to Japanese consumers,” said J. Thomas Schieffer, U.S. ambassador to Japan. “U.S. beef is not only safe but it tastes really good, and I think Seiyu’s customers will find that it is a great buy.”
Seiyu is 51 percent owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas, the world’s largest retailer.
U.S. beef chuck for steaks will cost $2.53 for 3.5 ounces at Seiyu, according to the company. That’s a bargain compared to Japanese beef, which sells for about $9.15 for 100 grams of sirloin steak, said Seiyu spokeswoman Haruko Toyama.
But the Japanese appetite for American beef is uncertain. Stores selling U.S. beef are more of an exception than the rule.
The five stores run by the Japan unit of U.S. warehouse retailer Costco Wholesale Corp. are selling U.S. beef, as are other smaller chains. U.S. beef is also being served in a popular beef bowl dish at fast-food chain Yoshinoya D&C Co.
But the worries about the safety of American beef have grown worse after meat was found from a Tyson beef plant in Nebraska that violated the 20-month or younger restriction on shipments.
Japan has suspended imports from that plant. Tyson Foods Inc. is however, still exporting beef from its six other U.S. beef processing plants and has promised to take further steps to ensure only qualified products are exported to Japan.
Seiyu said its beef buyer went to the U.S. to check on the inspection system and confirmed the products are safe.