Japanese Firms Tout Food Safety in Hong Kong

Japan’s leading food brands are seeking a comeback in their top foreign food export market by staging an exhibition in Hong Kong’s convention center this weekend. Products from 40 exhibitors ranging from rice to sake were on hand with the aim of promoting the safety of foods from Japan.

“As recovery of exports of Japanese food is our pressing issue, we decided to carry out this exhibition in Hong Kong, the largest destination of exports of Japanese food,” said Japanese official Mototaka Nishimura.

“I’d like people overseas to know that Japanese food for export is safe. Only food which passed the Japanese government’s safety guideline is allowed to be put on the market.”

The more affluent consumers of Japan’s East Asian neighbors had favored many Japanese foods for their reputation for high quality and safety. Hong Kong, which enjoys one of Asia’s highest standards of living, had particularly favored Japanese foods.

But that image for safety was compromised by the radioactive fallout from the meltdown of several reactors in the Fukushima 1 plant caused by the tsunami triggered by the March 11 earthquake. Overall Japanese food exports to Hong Kong fell 7.4% while seafood export fell 10.9% in 2011.

Japan had banned the sale of beef, milk, mushrooms and some types of leafy vegetables from the Fukushima region in an effort to contain the damage to the image of Japan’s food exports. But even some Japanese consumers remain leery about some kinds of food products. China, South Korea and six other Asian nations continue to impose a ban on several vegetables from regions of northern and eastern Japan.