Major supermarket chain Ito-Yokado Co. brought American beef back to its shelves Friday, about 3 1/2 years after sales were halted in the wake of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, a parent company spokesman said.
U.S. beef went back on sale at 20 Ito-Yokado stores, mostly in the Tokyo area, said Shirotake Henmi, spokesman for giant Japanese retailer Seven & I Holdings Co.
After Japan lifted its latest ban on U.S. beef last July, the company's buyers conducted on-site checks of meat exporters in Colorado and Nebraska, Ito-Yokado said in a statement.