A team of 21 farmers and farm group representatives traveled to Japan as the Heartland Team to see firsthand the promotion of U.S. beef and pork in the region by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. The team received market briefings from U.S. Embassy and USMEF staff, spoke with students at a culinary school, viewed U.S. product displays in retail outlets, visited a beef tongue processing facility, a wagyu farm and witnessed a beef carcass auction at the Tokyo Meat Market.
The utilization of beef tongue in Japan made an impression on the group, says Nebraska cattleman Mark Goes.
“Tongue product is everywhere, right down to tongue flavored pretzels,” he explains. “Japan imports a tremendous amount of tongue from the United States, and they have learned to utilize it to where it’s favored over ribeye steak for them.”
Surprisingly, the tongue is a standard and a staple for them there the group learned during their visit.
“I knew of that issue before, but to see it firsthand and the magnitude with which it’s ingrained into the society, it’s just incredible,” Goes adds.
Quality matters more than price in the Japanese market, which is a characteristic that sets the standard for U.S. pork production, according to Missouri pork producer Jesse Heimer.
“Relative to quality, Japan actually sets the standard in the United States,” Heimer says. “The quality standard at every plant is based on the color expectation that the Japanese customer wants. And believe it or not, our highest quality pork loins, much of our highest quality pork, ends up in this market here in Japan.
Heimer says that expectation for quality is the standard in the U.S. for export. He appreciated the opportunity to be face-to-face, and hand-to-hand, with customers in Japan.
“The Japanese consumer really appreciates our product, appreciates American pork,” he adds. “It was a great opportunity to see that relationship firsthand and understand that probably wouldn’t be possible without our partnership with USMEF.”
USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom says that’s why it’s important to bring producers to markets like Japan to share how U.S. product is raised.
“We have to continue to tell that story about quality and how we’re different, and I think having producers here in the marketplace, seeing the importance of that—that’s worth the value of the trip itself,” Halstrom explains.
Japan is the leading export market for U.S. beef by volume, totaling 149,051 metric tons through July of this year at a value of $1.2 billion. It is the number three market for U.S. pork exports at 208,121 metric tons with a value of $846 million through July.
