U.S. beef went on sale Wednesday for the first time since the lifting of a ban imposed in January over mad cow disease, officials from the stores selling the meat said.
Inspectors Tuesday opened the way for sales of U.S. beef to resume in the lucrative Japanese market by clearing a 5.1-ton shipment imported from U.S. agricultural giant Cargill Inc.
Costco Japan, the Japanese unit of the American retailer, began selling the beef at three of its Tokyo-area stores Wednesday, store officials said on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media.
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