Eel Alternatives Becoming Options for Day of Ox in Japan

July 15, 2018

Tokyo, July 14 (Jiji Press)--Meat, mackerel and other foods are being increasingly promoted as substitutes for "kabayaki," or grilled, eels ahead of the midsummer Day of the Ox in Japan.

In the country, nutritious grilled eels have traditionally been eaten on the Day of Ox. There are two such days this summer--next Friday and Aug. 1.

Supermarkets and department stores are increasingly curbing sales of eel products on the back of a continued decline in catches of baby Japanese eels for farming and concerns about the extinction of the species.

"It would be meaningless if we end up having no eels to sell as a result of excessive promotion campaigns" at a time when supplies are falling, an official of a major department store operator said.

Tokyo-based food delivery service provider Radishbo-ya Co. started this year to actively sell steak and "gyoza" dumplings for the Day of Ox. "There are foods other than eels that help increase the physical strength," a Radishbo-ya official said.

Eel dishes from a specialized shop remain available at Sogo & Seibu Co.'s flagship Seibu department store in the Ikebukuro district in Tokyo.

But sales promotion activities have been scaled down. Instead, the store is calling on consumers to boost stamina by eating beef and congers.

Major retailer Aeon Co. aims to help prevent eel overfishing by curbing procurements of Japanese eels from unknown sources. It plans to cover the eel shortages with grilled mackerel and pork belly.

Supermarket operator Ito-Yokado Co. is expanding its lineup of eel alternatives, such as grilled saury, while reducing eel procurements.

It is uncertain whether Japanese eel stock will recover, due to the lack of an international framework to prevent overfishing of baby eels.

According to Greenpeace Japan, at least 2.7 tons of grilled eels remained unsold at supermarkets in the nation and were discarded in 2017. Jiji Press