April 25 2009 -
A survey conducted by Global Intelligence Alliance Group (GIA) among 40 major food manufactures in Japan concluded that “organic” and “reduced sugar” are topping the list of trends with noticeable importance in that market.The market penetration of health foods in Japan is no greater than 0.5 percent of total food market according to the Japanese Trade Commission; what represents an opportunity for organic foods imports as well as local production, although Japan's limited farmable area impacts negatively the prospects of local grown organics.
Food suppliers – local and abroad – willing to explore this untapped potential must be aware of peculiarities when it comes to the acceptance of the “organic” concept in Japan. Differently than consumers in North America and Europe, Japanese consumers display a lower recognition of the aggregated benefits of consuming organic food, paying more attention to the appearance of the food product and to the commonly accepted idea that organics are more expensive than non-organic foods.
FoodBizDaily.com - Staff writer