Italian Ham Shortage Deepens in Japan's Food Service Industry... Panic Buying Continues

One Year of Income Suspension... Restaurants and Self-Employed Hit
Import Ban Due to African Swine Fever Outbreak in Italy

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] As Japan's ban on imports of Italian processed meat products continues for a long time, the food service industry is suffering from a shortage of Italian ham. The scarcity is worsening as some companies are competitively stockpiling. Earlier, the Japanese government completely banned imports of processed meat products such as ham and salami in January last year, citing the outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Italy.

[Image source=cellartours.com]

According to the Mainichi Shimbun on the 20th, Italian ham has not been imported into Japan for a year due to the import ban, and the inventory of processed meat specialty stores and restaurants has now run out. In the case of the Japanese family restaurant franchise Saizeriya, the ban on Italian ham imports led to the suspension of popular menu items. Last year, in November, they decided to stop selling the 'Aged Milano Salami Prosciutto,' which used salami and prosciutto, due to stock depletion.

Saizeriya explained that they made the decision to suspend sales without using substitutes because "Italian ham has a unique flavor and umami, and the purpose of launching the product was to use Italian ham," adding, "Therefore, it was difficult to find substitutes, leading to the suspension decision."

Not only large franchises but also self-employed business owners are suffering damages. In particular, the ham import ban directly affected their sales. Among self-employed people, a stockpiling phenomenon occurred before the government's import ban was implemented, as they tried to buy ham in advance. By spending a large sum at once to purchase Italian ham whose price had surged, self-employed sales significantly decreased.

Currently, with inventories depleted, imports from other countries such as Spain are being made, but demand has also surged there, causing prices to rise about 20% higher than Italian ham. In a situation where high prices do not stimulate consumption, the rising ham prices have led to an increase in restaurants operating at a loss.

Notice from a Japanese raw ham specialty restaurant. Due to the import ban on Italian products, they are substituting with French products. (Photo by MAMMA PARMA website)

According to Mainichi, about 70% of the raw ham imported into Japan is Italian. Since most of it depended on Italy, this phenomenon is occurring. The industry is urgently diversifying import routes by bringing in products from Spain or France and exploring new import routes from countries like Slovenia. Some places have even started making ham directly in their stores. However, the prevailing opinion within Japan remains that "it is not as good as Italian ham." The owner of a raw ham specialty restaurant said, "The consensus is that Italian ham suits the Japanese palate."

Despite the emergency in the food service industry, Japan took the strong measure of a 'ban on imports' because it is an ASF-free country. In East Asia, ASF spread to 18 countries after it occurred in China in 2018, and currently, Taiwan and Japan are the only places in East Asia where ASF has not spread. Japan immediately suspended all imports of pork processed products from Italy upon the first occurrence of ASF there, according to the Act on Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control.

Since there is no vaccine or preventive method for ASF, the timing for lifting the ban is unclear. Accordingly, the impact on the food service industry is expected to be prolonged. A Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official stated, "The resumption of imports will be recognized after Italy declares the end of the ASF outbreak, followed by on-site investigations by the Japanese government and expert reviews."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.