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Kyodo poll: 75.9% of Japanese say they will no longer use Chinese food

February 10, 2008
By Ken Worsley


Kyodo News conducted a telephone survey Saturday and Sunday and apparently found that 75.9% of respondents said they “will not use Chinese food from now on.”

According to the Kyodo article:

…[S]urveys show that Japanese consumers using Chinese food stood at 57.9 percent until before the incident came to light in late January, but plunged to 21.6 percent after the incident.

Kyodo doesn’t tell us which surveys it is referring to, though there are plenty of other numbers included from the current survey:

69.0% of those surveyed stated that they are “greatly” concerned about Chinese products, while 51.1% said that the Japanese government has not done enough in the wake of the current scandal. The survey also found 55.5% of respondents want Japan to increase it’s food self-sufficiency, while 15.3% want the government to communicate better and not withhold information when food-related scandals break.

We’re not surprised by these numbers, and over time, we expect to see emotions calm and for many people to forget about the answers they gave to that pollster who called on behalf of Kyodo News this weekend. Nonetheless, and no matter how the investigation into the current scandal turns out, China stands to be dogged with safety concerns in the future. What will it do to ensure confidence in products for export? Does it actually need to?

Interested in where my own food comes from, I decided to have a quick look at the fridge. 7 of the 8 items on top of the fridge were made in Japan, with the eighth item being from China. Of those items in the fridge, 14 were from Japan, 12 from China, 2 from Thailand, 2 from Korea, 2 from the US, 2 from Italy, 1 from Poland, and 1 from Turkey.

This is one potential trend that we will certainly be watching the development of…

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Comments

11 Responses to “Kyodo poll: 75.9% of Japanese say they will no longer use Chinese food”

  1. jan on February 11th, 2008 11:11 am

    It could just be relabeled. Customers don’t seem to have a problem so much with that.

  2. Albrecht on February 11th, 2008 3:21 pm

    With inflation looming, this will be an interesting issue to watch as China has been a net deflation exporter in terms of food. Will Japanese buy Japanese food based on emotion when faced with inflation of inelastic food staples?

  3. Macchi on February 11th, 2008 5:35 pm

    Let’s see how long they can keep that up. Kyodo’s polling an overreaction here. It’s not possible for Japan to live without Chinese food, or almost anything these days.

  4. jan on February 11th, 2008 7:32 pm

    Kyodo’s polling an overreaction here.

    The overreaction seems to be with the media, not the people. Consumers don’t want to be poisoned. No one can blame them for not wanting to buy dangerous food. But is the food from China really more dangerous, and if not, is public perception that Chinese food is dangerous being created/fueled by the media?

    If it is, it’s working. I’m also avoiding any food from China, for now.

  5. WG on February 11th, 2008 10:18 pm

    The Economist recently commented that Japanese food firms could benefit financially from this, but that’s only if consumers really act the way they say they will for a sustained period of time.

    Albrecht is right that inflation in food prices will be an issue. Using China as a supplier helps keep those costs down, and I don’t know if domestic makers can afford to go ‘domestic.’ It’s hard to calculate the potential benefits.

  6. No Chinese, please! on February 13th, 2008 3:46 pm

    […] Almost 76 percent of the respondents to a telephone survey conducted in Japan by Kyodo News last weekend said they will no longer use food items that come from China. […]

  7. WG on February 13th, 2008 10:01 pm

    Well, anyway, it seems like the Chinese food crisis has been pushed out of the top news.

  8. Trans-Pacific Radio » USMC Rape in Okinawa, Voting Changes, and Gyoza: TPR News for Friday, February 15, 2008 :: Independent Podcasts from Tokyo, Japan - Japanese News, Politics, Business and Economy on February 15th, 2008 7:44 pm

    […] than 75% of respondents to a recent phone survey conducted by Kyodo News responded that they will not be purchasing Chinese-made food products anymore. The survey and its results are evidence of the national panic that has erupted due to revelations […]

  9. Kraig on February 16th, 2008 3:46 pm

    It’s impossible not to buy or use Chinese food. People would never be able to go to restaurants again.

  10. Jay on February 24th, 2008 9:03 pm

    How about this one:

    Is a China-free diet possible in Japan?

    http://www.japantoday.com/jp/kuchikomi/506

  11. Ken Worsley on February 27th, 2008 10:03 pm

    Jay, nice link. The answer is obviously “No,” unless you’re willing to be very, very careful about shopping.

    Ishihara has an interesting idea for food labeling that shows where all ingredients come from, which manages to mix consumer protection with a sprinkle of nationalism. The industry hates the idea, which shows they know how dependent they are on imported food (China is hardly the only risk). You reminded me I need to blog that idea…

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