Japan’s appetite for Aussie red meat remains strong

Japan is a cornerstone of the Australian red meat industry, reaching over $3 billion worth of export value last year and remaining Australia’s third largest market. Despite export volumes to Japan plateauing in recent years, export value continues to rise due to consumer preference towards red meat and Australia’s well established market position.  

In the latest episode of the On the Ground podcast, Travis Brown, MLA Regional Manager – Japan and Korea, unpacked insights into the macro-economic and consumer trends in Japan.   

Long-term relationships drive sentiment  

Travis highlighted the effectiveness of long-term relationships with consumers and acknowledged the combined efforts of industry in driving consumer sentiment. “Japanese consumers believe Aussie red meat comes from a safe and trusted production system. Not only that though – they recognise the absolute quality of the product,” he said. 

However, the consistent devaluation of the Yen and inflation outpacing real wage growth is creating challenges in the market. 

“For consumers, the cost of living is a major concern and tends to dominate the press in Japan on a daily basis.”  

Despite this, Travis said he remains confident about the market outlook as MLA intends to capitalise off existing positive perceptions of Aussie Beef and Lamb.  

Continuing to grow demand  

Travis and his team are actively working on a variety of different programs to expand the reach of Australian red meat within the Japanese market. This includes a push to make Father’s Day a national beef-eating occasion. Drawing inspiration from MLA’s successful summer lamb campaign in Australia, which effectively linked lamb consumption with a major national event, the campaign works with retail stores to encourage consumers to eat beef on Father’s Day, with in-store activations backed up by social media promotions and a PR campaigns. The program is currently in its third consecutive year and has seen building success, with over 3,000 retail stores nationwide signed up this year in addition to a number of large foodservice chains.  

For sheepmeat, MLA intends to expand the existing market in Japan’s northern region, Hokkaido, and appeal to increasingly interested younger consumers in Tokyo and Osaka. The spearhead of this initiative is the annual Hitsuji Festival, where MLA works with the Sheep Association and other interested stakeholders to celebrate and promote lamb consumption in Japan. Additionally, MLA works with an extensive network of Lambassadors to promote foodservice providers around the unique qualities of Australian lamb, and provide education of preparation techniques.  

As we head into the Year of the Sheep in 2027, Travis sees a golden opportunity to promote Aussie sheepmeat.   

“The Year of the Sheep will present some real opportunities for us to conduct some big promotions across food service and retail to help continue to support market growth for Aussie sheepmeat,” Travis said.