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Ranchers.net

Consumers find U.S. beef utterly resistible



Toru Takahashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Jun. 27, 2006

Japan



About 60 percent of respondents to a joint Yomiuri Shimbun/NTT Resonant Inc. survey said they do not want to eat U.S. beef when imports resume.



The survey was conducted for three days through Wednesday after Japan and the United States reached agreement on lifting the ban on U.S. beef, imports of which could resume by as early as next month.



Seventy-one percent of respondents said they were "opposed" or "fairly opposed" to the lifting of the ban.



Sixty percent of this group said they had doubts about the safety of meat processing in the United States, while 52 percent said they were worried about the U.S. meat inspection system.



These figures show that many Japanese have increased their distrust of the U.S. government following the discovery of a part of a backbone--considered a specific risk material for bovine spongiform encephalopathy--in the first shipment of U.S. beef following Japan's lifting of the previous import ban late last year.



Thirty percent of those surveyed said the Japanese government had rushed the decision to lift the ban out of a desire to keep on friendly terms with the United States.



By gender, 64 percent of men opposed lifting the ban, while 76 percent of women did.



Asked if they would eat U.S. beef after imports resume, a combined 61 percent said "no" or "will try not to," with only 6 percent saying they would not mind eating U.S. beef.



Ninety-six percent said restaurants should have to declare the country of origin of beef they served.



In reply to a question on whether they had changed their attitudes regarding the selection of beef since Japan banned U.S. beef imports, 28 percent said they had not changed their attitudes and ate imported beef, while 36 percent said they ate or tried to eat only domestic beef.



The suspension of U.S. beef imports has affected the diet of consumers, with 24 percent of respondents saying they rarely eat beef, and 1 percent said they had stopped eating beef altogether.



In the online survey, carried out on those who had registered with goo research, 1,059 valid answers were received from respondents aged between 14 and 84, with 450 men and 609 women.



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Beef bowl concerns





Eighty percent of those surveyed disapprove of the idea of gyudon beef-bowl chain restaurants possibly switching back to U.S. beef.



Forty-seven percent said they would prefer restaurants not to use U.S. beef, while 33 percent said they definitely should not.



Only 13 percent said restaurants should use U.S. beef.



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Country should be shown





Almost 90 percent of pollees said they want to know if U.S. beef is used at restaurants.



Forty-seven percent said they were "somewhat concerned" about the issue, while 39 percent said they were "eager to know."



Fresh and some processed food providers are required to label the origins of their products, but many processed food providers and restaurants do not have to do so.



Sixty-seven percent of pollees said an indication of country of origin on beef should be mandatory at restaurants and on processed food, while 29 percent said they would prefer it if such a system were in operation.





yomiuri.co.jp
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