Japan - Pork Imports

Submitted by: Jason Munsch, Alberta Exchange to Japan
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development

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Pork Imports

Canada is the third largest exporter to Japan, behind Denmark and the US. The foot and mouth disease that hit Taiwan's hogs was the boost that Canada needed to increase pork exports. However, the demand to replace the pork that was purchased from Taiwan was too great for Canadian suppliers, so Japan is turning towards the US and Denmark. Thus, to continue to be competitive, Canada should concentrate on increasing its pork supply. Also, the E. Coli 0157 bacteria epidemic of 1996 had a negative effect on imports.

Pork Standards and Qualifications for Pork Loins

Up to 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) of fat is allowed on pork loins.
Each pork loin should be separately vacuum packed.
There should be 4 pieces per box.
1 carton should weigh approx. 15-16 kg.
The regular back style loin should be cut between the 2nd and 3rd ribs.
The rib cap must be removed.
The stomach must be cut off.

Small companies/factories must be practising HACCP and TQM (Total Quality Management) before major Japanese stores will do business with them.

Canadian Pork Imports

The company I was with is importing ham, chilled pork and frozen belly from Canada. Ham is being imported from British Columbia because of the high quality and low transportation fee. A small quantity of chilled pork and frozen pork belly is being imported from Quebec.

Although Canadian pork is being imported, the amount imported is still quite low. The reason for this is because:

There is not enough supply to meet Japan's needs
There are not enough factories
There is no fixed rate for pork (This is a large deterring factor due to poor economic conditions and the instability of the yen)

Claims

The most frequent problems of the company I worked for regarding pork inspections were:

Loose vacuum packing.
Too much blood is found in the package.
Faulty boxes (the boxes have either collapsed during shipment or were not assembled properly).

This information is maintained by: Gail Atkinson
Last Revised/Reviewed January 28, 1999

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