TOKYO, Oct. 8 — JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods Co., a meat seller of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives group, and Japan Airlines (JAL) began on Oct. 7 selling wagyu beef and taking care of quarantine procedures for people flying abroad.
The service will allow people traveling to the United States and Singapore using JAL flights departing Haneda and Narita airports to purchase wagyu beef products sold by JA ZEN-NOH Meat Foods and have them clear quarantine procedures for export by JAL.
By making it easier and more convenient for travelers to buy wagyu beef to take out of Japan, the companies hope to boost overseas wagyu consumption and increase awareness of the beef.
They are aiming at having roughly 150 people a month use the service, which will be offered to passengers of a total of 17 flights on 14 routes.
Passengers of the flights can order wagyu on the airline’s website at least 48 hours before boarding.
They can pick it up at the airline’s counter on the day of departure and check it in as baggage to be carried overseas.
The passengers can get wagyu products at prices 20% to 30% cheaper than buying them outside Japan, and without having to go through the complicated quarantine procedures themselves.
The JAL group’s low-cost carrier ZIPAIR Tokyo has been offering a similar service since January. With the latest launch, the service will now be available at 22 flights on 19 routes across the group.
Passengers of some of JAL’s international flights can buy wagyu beef products and check them in as baggage without having to go through quarantine procedures themselves.