Japan’s largest food service company has quietly begun importing U.S. beef, seven years after U.S. beef imports were suspended because of fears of mad cow disease.
Japan lifted its ban on U.S. cattle aged 20 months or younger in 2006, but Zensho continued to use Australian, New Zealand, Mexican and Canadian beef exclusively until just a few weeks ago.
In a press release dated November 30, and circulated with little fanfare, the company said it had resumed importing American beef “that meets strict and proprietary food safety assurance standards imposed by the company.”
The release said that the new product is branded as “Zensho SFC beef” and is certified to be free from any feed containing BSE-responsible material. To insure the beef’s safety, the company said, the U.S. exporter, JBS USA, is required to “prepare and maintain program and compliance records of SFC cattle from birth through harvest and shipping.”
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