U.S. beef scandal hits Yoshinoya again.

More bull over U.S. beef

“One carton out of 700 cartons was not intended to be shipped to Japan. That beef was mistakenly exported.” That was the excuse given by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on April 24 after spinal columns were found in a U.S. beef shipment to Japan in the latest violation of a bilateral beef accord. Japanese consumers and politicians alike are beginning to wonder if it is possible to trust the U.S. side when it comes to beef inspections.

The beef in question was shipped from a National Beef plant in California and imported into Japan in August last year by Itochu Corp, which later sold it to Yoshinoya Holdings Co, the operator of restaurants serving beef bowls. The accord requires the removal of spinal columns, brain tissue and other ‘‘specified risk materials’’ deemed to be closely linked to mad cow disease (BSE). The U.S. government has since reassured Japan that other beef is OK.

According to Japan’s health ministry, imported beef is inspected at five stages: Inspection at factories in the U.S., quarantine at Japanese customs, animal quarantine by Japan’s agriculture ministry, inspection by private-sector buyers and private-sector food process factories. However, an official says, “The rate of random sampling on imported beef is just 1%.”

The latest case shows how insufficient the checking system for imported beef is, says Mikako Iba, who is a board member of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. U.S. authorities rely heavily on the private sector for inspection of beef. “That’s all on their side, but once the beef gets to Japan, the laws related to imported beef are full of loopholes. Hence, dangerous beef can slip under the radar.”

“This case was predictable,” said Mashiko Yamada, an DPJ politician who visited some American beef processing plants with a beef import investigation team. “The decision to resume U.S. beef imports in July, 2006 was a sort of ‘souvenir’ from Prime Minister Junichi Koizumi who visited U.S. President George W Bush in June that year. Japanese politicians knew the inspection process was not good enough, but the political decision prevailed. Now, it has come back to haunt consumers.” (Translated by Taro Fujimoto)

Latest 15 of 94 Total Comments Show All

OhioDonna at 12:18 AM JST - 7th May

Here is the US, there are many purchasing options. We do no have to puchase beef with from "beef factories".
thepossum at 12:35 AM JST - 7th May

Ohiodonna... well said ! The problem here in Japan though is there is a lot of misinformation about purchasing beef in America. I have tried to enlighten the locals but usually their individual bias against all things American clouds their thinking. I for one absolutely love being able to go right out to the ranch and get a couple of pounds of grass fed cattle for about a third of the price the Japanese pay here ! And I guarantee you this, no kobe beef can stand up to the possums bbq grill... damn stuff is too fatty ! Can you say "grease fire" ! Moo !
OssanULTRA at 01:28 AM JST - 7th May

A contract agreement which specifically specifies no spines and such requires nothing more than adherence. Arguing about whether inspections are necesssary or whether the buyers have the right stop buying is absurd. And since Japanese domestic beef is a different type of product targeting a different market, this has nothing to do with opening or closing markets. If anything, it's opening the door wide open for our real competitors...Australian Beef. It doesn't take rocket scientists to inspect JUST THE EXPORT TO JAPAN PACKAGES does it?
GlobalNomad at 05:03 AM JST - 7th May

Isn't the real reason is that Japan wants cheaper U.S. beef?
thepossum at 06:08 AM JST - 7th May

"Isn't the real reason is that Japan wants cheaper U.S. beef?"

Price is determined in the marketplace, where American beef has been traditionally, and substantually lower. Subsequently, there is no reason for government officials to interfere, the customer will eventually determine the price.
HoDeDo at 09:12 AM JST - 7th May

Good point about kobe beef not being able to stand up to the competition thepossum. I was under the impression that kobe beef couldn't stand at all as it spends it's life in a sling! :) OssanULTRA--it has everything to do with market closure. J-Beef targets a different market only because it's expensive and can't compete with cheaper US and Aussie beef, but if the J-Gov shuts out US beef (which they won't do with Aussie beef as Aeon owns quite a few cattle ranches there) by fearmongering or outright ban, the j-beef can target the entire market byb default. A cow is a cow is a cow, the only reason Kobe beef is so expensive is because of the heart-mangling fat content which the J-folks can't get enough of.
freakashow at 10:06 AM JST - 7th May

The best way of course is just to choose not to eat beef. A lot of my J friends have been doing so not only for health reasons but cost as well. Then again, with the World Food crisis, everything in the world is expensive.
VOR at 06:21 PM JST - 7th May

freakashow: to each his own, you and your scrawny J-friends are free to make whatever health and consumer decisions you like. The issue on this page is not about whether its healthy or not to eat beef but about the right for people to make their own consumer and health decision without government manipulation and fear mongering at the behest of people who are lining their pockets. If it was the government doing it, it would be racketeering.
VOR at 06:23 PM JST - 7th May

doggone it, to quick with the submit button again.

the last sentence should read, "if it WASN'T the government doing it, it would be considered racketeering."
VOR at 06:23 PM JST - 7th May

too
OssanULTRA at 12:19 AM JST - 8th May

HodeDo "OssanULTRA--it has everything to do with market closure. J-Beef targets a different market only because it's expensive and can't compete with cheaper US and Aussie beef, but if the J-Gov shuts out US beef (which they won't do with Aussie beef as Aeon owns quite a few cattle ranches there) by fearmongering or outright ban, the j-beef can target the entire market byb default."

That's the most ridicious interpretation of "market" I've ever heard of. Disposabable income is finite. You don't stop selling regular gas at $4.00 a gallon and think "OH boy I'm gonna force all these consumers to buy the $6.00 Hi-Octane". Consumers will simply cut down on their driving. Extra money isn't going come blowing out their hindquarters along with the monkeys. If only the more expensive Domestic Beef is available, it will simply be purchased less. Market Closure would make sense if Japan had a domestic beef industry that competed directly with the imports. They don't. BTW Japanese firms also have investments in beef cattle operations in the US as well, not just Australia.
SezWho2 at 10:04 AM JST - 8th May

HoDeDo,

Kobe beef is quite delicious. It doesn't seem that the "heart-mangling fat content" has damaged the higher (and still increasing) life-expectancy of the rarely obese Japanese.

Japanese people loved American beef but there was also a healthy market for Japanese beef--particularly exotic brands like beer-fed cattle. The issue was never protectionism--unless it was consumer protection. The United States does in fact follow the world standard but that does not mean that the Japanese should not use a higher standard in responding to the health concerns of its people.

After much wrangling, Japan consented to reentry of American beef. The inability of American exporters to follow the terms of the agreement is what is hurting the market for American beef here. American lip and attitude will only make it worse.
Badsey at 02:52 AM JST - 13th May

who is buying American beef spines? This was in the shipment and was a mistake? So that means somebody, somewhere is buying these bovine spines for human consumption..

I would like to see a tariff on U.S. Beef with the money used for BSE research.

People are getting increasingly worried about their food products and US Beef is really dropping the ball on this. Organtic US Beef with a picture of the farm/farmer would sell quite well and people would pay a premium for safety. Japanese rice growers do this. Of course US beef acts in the interests of these big beef companies and not the Japanese consumer -at one time Japanese rice production was like this also (had to sell/buy thru a broker = farmer could not sell/market his rice directly)
Fair dinkum! at 10:21 AM JST - 14th May

Aussie beef is better anyway!
westurn at 04:03 PM JST - 28th May

I was in the new Costco in Iruma this weekend ! American beef was just flying off the shelves ! I asked one of the foreign managers working the floor about sales of US beef. He said, anywhere ranging from "very good" to "excellent" ! The Iruma store in particular was doing well, seems the locals haven't been able to get such wonderful beef at such low prices for ages ! Guess ya can't argue with those numbers !