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A report readied by a prion committee of the independent
Food Safety Commission calling beef from young Canadian
and U.S. cattle low-risk has been accepted by the commission.
A period of public comment and hearings will extend to Nov.
29, after which the ministries of health and agriculture
will make recommendations to the Japanese government as
to whether or not to lift the ban on Canadian and U.S. beef
products. Meetings will be held in seven major Japanese
cities during the week of Nov. 14 to gather public comment,
and beef inspectors are scheduled to leave for North America
in early December to prepare to approve the first shipments,
assuming there are no further objections.
Although the Japanese public has said in polls that it will
avoid U.S. beef and some consumer groups are threatening
boycotts, restaurant chains are eagerly awaiting the return
of relatively inexpensive grain-fed beef, which is highly
coveted for its flavor.
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