Japan’s Third-Largest Bento Box Company Switches to U.S. Beef and Pork
Bento boxes are very popular and ingrained into the daily life of consumers in Japan. These single-portion, packaged meals are experiencing significant market growth, serving as convenient, balanced, and portable meals for students, professionals and travelers. As inflation rises and consumer demand for convenience grows, USMEF is working to penetrate nationwide, ready-to-eat food suppliers in Japan with U.S. beef and pork.
Hokka Hokka Tei, the third-largest bento box company in Japan, has begun purchasing U.S. beef short plate for two of its menu items and U.S. center-cut pork loin for three pork menu items. USMEF is supporting the switch to U.S. product through point-of-sale materials and menu promotions.
USMEF Foodservice Manager Masatoshi Takanashi says the change opens the door for U.S. beef and pork in the ready-to-eat sector. Hokka Hokka Tei estimates it is utilizing 20 metric tons (mt) of U.S. beef short plate and 20 mt of center-cut U.S. pork loin each month.
“We will monitor Hokka Hokka Tei’s sales performance and propose additional menu items and other cuts,” says Takanashi. “This switch will serve as a success story to strengthen our proposals to other ready-to-eat food suppliers.”
Promotional support is made possible through the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board.