According to household expenditure statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, household purchases of pork increased by 3% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Although pork remains more expensive than chicken, Japanese consumers continue to buy it despite rising prices, including as a way to add variety to their everyday diets.
A similar trend is also evident in the foodservice sector. To limit increases in menu prices, restaurants and other operators are increasingly replacing beef with pork in certain dishes.
As a result, high beef prices are expected to continue supporting the competitiveness of pork in both retail and the HoReCa sector.
PigUA.info, based on materials from thepigsite.com