Japan | Retail And Foodservice Team Positive About U.S. Beef After U.S. Visi...

Japan

Retail And Foodservice Team Positive About U.S. Beef After U.S. Visit

A team of eight key buyers and merchandisers from large retail and foodservice companies visited the United States Aug. 26 through Sept. 2 to see firsthand U.S. beef production and merchandising efforts that instill confidence among consumers in beef products.

Team members indicated they are very positive about future purchases of U.S. beef and fully expect to see increases in the import volume of U.S. beef products.

The team consisted of buyers from large, nationwide retail chains like Daiei and Ito Yokado in addition to medium-size, regional chains of Kasumi and OK in addition to foodservice companies such as Skylark, which has 4,294 restaurant outlets in a variety of foodservice chains including Japanese style, family style, Chinese and grill steakhouses.

The team toured beef plants, feedlots and other facilities to learn about U.S. beef safety systems and the beef export verification (BEV) program under which product is prepared for Japan. A visit to National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Culinary Center in Chicago provided the latest trends in the U.S. retail and foodservice industry regarding beef merchandising. At USMEF headquarters in Denver, Senior Vice President, Policy Planning and Development Thad Lively presented a beef market forecast and answered team members’ questions.

Japan

Retail And Foodservice Team Positive About U.S. Beef After U.S. Visit

A team of eight key buyers and merchandisers from large retail and foodservice companies visited the United States Aug. 26 through Sept. 2 to see firsthand U.S. beef production and merchandising efforts that instill confidence among consumers in beef products.

Team members indicated they are very positive about future purchases of U.S. beef and fully expect to see increases in the import volume of U.S. beef products.

The team consisted of buyers from large, nationwide retail chains like Daiei and Ito Yokado in addition to medium-size, regional chains of Kasumi and OK in addition to foodservice companies such as Skylark, which has 4,294 restaurant outlets in a variety of foodservice chains including Japanese style, family style, Chinese and grill steakhouses.

The team toured beef plants, feedlots and other facilities to learn about U.S. beef safety systems and the beef export verification (BEV) program under which product is prepared for Japan. A visit to National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Culinary Center in Chicago provided the latest trends in the U.S. retail and foodservice industry regarding beef merchandising. At USMEF headquarters in Denver, Senior Vice President, Policy Planning and Development Thad Lively presented a beef market forecast and answered team members’ questions.