EXCLUSIVE: Japan to Extend Best-Before Dates for Pork to Help Exports

July 16, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government is discussing plans to extend best-before dates for pork products in a bid to boost their exports, Jiji Press learned Monday.

The best-before periods for Japanese pork products are shorter than those for products from other nations, making a dent in their export competitiveness.

The agriculture and health ministries, related organizations and other groups will set up a study panel soon to draw up a report on the issue in the summer at the earliest, informed source said.

The best-before period for widely traded vacuum-packed products that need to be preserved at zero degree Celsius has been set at 20 days since 1995, compared with about 50 days in the United States and Canada.

The government plans to extend the best-before periods in stages to make them on a par with overseas nations, in view of the improved hygiene controls at slaughterhouses in Japan, the sources said.

The government has been prompted to explore additional overseas market opportunities for Japanese port products due to the recent weakness of domestic consumption.

Pork products are exported mainly by sea and the constraints of the best-before dates means that their main market are limited to Hong Kong and Singapore.

Government officials aim to develop new markets in Europe and North America, where "washoku" Japanese cuisine is drawing keen attention, the sources said.

The study panel will look at hygiene controls aboard and review guidelines for setting best-before periods, according to the sources.

"Extending best-before dates will make distribution by ship more active," one source said, expressing hopes for export promotion. Jiji Press