The Japanese Market for Organic Beverages

This new strategic report by Organic Monitor examines the Japanese organic beverages market, which has been dramatically affected by the new Japanese Agricultural Standards (JAS) for organic foods. Enforced in April 2001, the new regulations prevent any organic products that are not certified by a JAS accredited organisation to be marketed as organic foods in Japan. This is causing a large rise in JAS accredited certification and inspection bodies with the number of Registered Certification Organisations (ROCs) increasing from 42 in May 2001 to over 130 in May 2002. This is leading to a large influx of JAS certified organic beverages into the Japanese market to meet burgeoning consumer demand.

High consumer demand for organic foods is stemming from a loss of confidence in the food industry, which has been caused by a spate of food scares since the mid 1990s. Organic foods are perceived to be safer than non-organic foods and Japanese consumers are more than ready to pay a premium for high quality organic products.

The study shows that there are ample opportunities for exporters of organic beverages in the Japanese market. Low volumes of organic beverages are produced in Japan with the main products being green tea and drinking milk. European and American exporters are capitalising on soaring demand for organic beverages.

This new study analyses the four largest product segments in the Japanese organic beverages market - organic juices, organic milk, organic tea, and organic coffee. Competitive and market information is provided for each product segment along with revenue forecasts up to 2008.