TOKYO, Dec. 2 — Baked cakes and other buttery treats are reasonably available for the coming Christmas season in Japan, despite a global butter shortage, industry groups have said.
The agriculture ministry held a meeting on Dec. 1 to discuss the supply and demand situation for butter with bakery chains, supermarkets and distributors.
“There is no shortage and we have good supply of butter,” said a supermarket operator at the meeting.
An official from a bakery chain also said: “We are well prepared as the Christmas holiday season nears.”
Japan’s butter production in April-October fell 8.7% to 33,530 metric tons from the same period a year earlier, due to a decline in milk output, the Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation (ALIC) said.
However, butter stock by companies amounted to 25,478 metric tons, exceeding the yearly average, so it is unlikely to impact households, the ALIC projected.