The enforcement of a food product import ban from today against 10 Japanese prefectures will potentially impact Japanese cuisine restaurants in Macau, the president of the United Association of Food and Beverage Merchants of Macau (UAFBMM), Chan Chak Mo, said in an interview with Chinese Channel TDM.
Chan, a lawmaker and an Executive Director of Future Bright Holdings, Ltd, a company mostly dedicated to the food and beverage industry, which also owns several Japanese restaurants in Macau, said the association has had several meetings with the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) officials over the past few months and that they were already aware of this potential further step from the local authorities.
He also said that to minimize the impacts on the business, many Japanese restaurant owners were already finding new sources such as South Korea, Russia and Taiwan for the import of some of the food products now affected by the ban.
The UAFBMM president believed it unlikely that importing food items from sources other than Japan would increase prices.
“Usually the products from Japan are generally the most expensive ones,” he said.
The president of the Macau Catering Industry Association, Lei Iam Leong, expressed a similar opinion.
Lei told the media the industry was informed with enough time to search for other supply chains, while a difference in the prices should not be reflected as the Japanese products are usually the most expensive ones.
According to Lei, it is expected that “only 10% of the restaurants” will be affected by the import ban enforced by IAM from today.
To avoid a potential reaction from the market, Chan suggested restaurant owners place notices at the restaurants stating that the products on sale have all been inspected by the IAM and are in accordance with all food safety regulations.
No changes
in local habits
According to a Times observation during the day, so far, no Japanese restaurant has posted any notices on the topic nor any change in the business flow with residents, at least for now, continuing with their habits.
Questioned by the Times while exiting a Japanese restaurant in the central district, a resident who preferred to be identified by the name of Wilson said that he and his girlfriend are fans of Japanese cuisine and that he eats at Japanese restaurants at least twice a week.
He told the Times that he does not believe that there is any contamination of the food products from Japan, “otherwise Japan would be stopping their selling [in the] first [place],” he said, noting that what is on the line is “once again,” a “political matter between China and Japan.”
“I will continue to eat Japanese food the same way if the restaurants are open and have the items available for sale,” he concluded.
