Australian lamb is becoming part of Japanese food culture

Australian lamb, in particular branded lamb, is increasingly becoming part of Japanese food culture and driving its popularity is its affordability compared to other meats. And while lamb consumption in Japan remains skewed towards the northern island of Hokkaido, consumers in less traditional areas like Tokyo and Osaka are showing interest in retail lamb for home consumption. According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) more restaurants are putting lamb on their menus with demand shifting from other meats because of lamb's point of difference and higher value dishes. And increasingly, more adventurous consumers are showing interest in lamb for home preparation who are tired of the same chicken and pork repertoire. On top of this, its low-fat, high-iron content compared to beef and pork is also winning taste buds in the younger generations. But Japan has had a previous lamb boom. Japanese meat producers started importing lamb as an alternative to beef in 2003, following the ...