Retail Campaign Introduces U.S. Lamb to More Consumers in Japan

In an expanded effort to promote U.S. lamb and differentiate it from competitors’ products, USMEF partnered with importers in Japan for a retail promotion during the springtime Golden Week holiday season.

Funded by the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and the American Lamb Board, the campaign included the development of videos designed to highlight the quality of U.S. lamb cuts available in supermarkets, social media advertisements that shared information about stores selling U.S. lamb and the announcement of a U.S. lamb online cooking event scheduled for June.

Since gaining access in Japan in 2019, U.S. lamb has been sold primarily in the country’s foodservice sector.

“The pandemic has altered the dining habits of consumers and supermarkets showed interest in selling U.S. lamb for consumers to cook at home,” said Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF director in Japan. “We are also working with the foodservice sector on U.S. lamb because eventually restaurants will return to normal. Promoting the product at retail as the country emerges from pandemic restrictions allows us to reach more consumers.”

Four supermarkets with a total of 37 locations in Japan participated in the U.S. lamb Golden Week campaign, which closely followed USMEF’s launch of a

U.S. lamb gained prominent shelf space during the Golden Week promotion