Action stations for US pork in Japan

Becker’s, a restaurant chain that operates inside 24 Japanese railway stations, has launched a new range of sandwiches made with US pork trimmings. The company is running a high-profile campaign around the sandwiches, featuring the US Pork Logo, in collaboration with the UK Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and the USDA Market Access Programme.
Around 2.65 million commuters pass through the stations where Becker’s resturants are located. It is expected that nearly 15,500lb of US pork trimmings will be used during the three-month promotion.
Takemichi Yamashoji, USMEF-Japan’s senior marketing director, said: “For Becker’s, this is the first time it has featured US pork on its menu. We are very pleased to be partnering with Becker’s on this promotion, as the campaign is reaching a tremendous number of consumers and providing outstanding exposure for US pork.”
US pork exports to Japan reached a record value of $1.79bn in November 2011 and it is expected that the December results will reach $2bn.
Becker's is operated by JR East Food Business, which is a subsidiary of the East Japan Railway Company.