Finding Opportunity for U.S. Beef Abroad

While tourism growth and foodservice recovery in Japan are opening doors for grain-fed beef, inflation and a weak yen continue to challenge U.S. exports. You know how this goes. When conditions get tight, you look for leverage. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, that leverage is Prime grade U.S. beef, positioned as a premium choice alongside Japan’s well-known Wagyu.

That strategy recently showed up in Tokyo. With support from U.S. beef producers traveling under the Pacific Northwest Initiative, USMEF hosted its first-ever Prime beef seminar in Japan. Thirty upscale club members from a high-end lifestyle magazine were invited to learn where American beef comes from.

USMEF Japan’s Taz Hijikata said, “We are working to increase awareness of U.S. Prime grade beef as a premium product in Japan.”

Washington State Beef Commission producers Peter Charriere and Will Derting discussed production practices. Chef David Marquilles of the ANA Intercontinental Hotel Tokyo shared his rationale for choosing American beef for the restaurant’s signature menus. Funding support comes from the Beef Checkoff Program and USDA’s Market Access Program.