Restaurants, distributors and food companies dealing with beef are hoping the government's safety declaration Thursday will help revive consumer demand for red meat. The government declared domestic beef to be free of mad cow disease in a bid to allay public fears following the discovery of the first Japanese case of the disease in September.
Major supermarket operator Ito-Yokado Co. had planned to launch a special sales promotion for beef once the government issued a safety declaration.
But the retailer is now taking a wait-and-see attitude as consumers have become even more concerned about the safety of beef since the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced last week the discovery of a suspected second case of the disease in Japan. The tests later proved negative.