Japanese tariffs on various British cheeses remain notably high at 25, 14, and 18.6 percent, due to a phased reduction over 15 years following a trade deal effective from early 2021.
“When combined with the fact that we typically export the more premium — and therefore expensive — cheeses to Japan, the impact is even higher,” said Hyde. “All this means that British cheeses will feel relatively expensive to Japanese consumers compared to similar products they’re shopping for.”
Luxury cheeses
British cheese is considered a luxury item in Japan. Yet, Fortnum & Mason does not showcase its Stilton and other British cheese alongside tea, scones, clotted cream, jam, preserves, and biscuits in Japan’s iconic Mitsukoshi department store’s bustling food hall.
Located on the store’s third basement level at the “Cheese on the Table” stall, Red Cheddar (¥972, £4.78), Stilton (¥1,080, £5.31), and Clotted cream (¥2,376, £11.70) can be found among other European selections.
For many Japanese, “the image of the production of the cheese is France, Italy, not Britain,” a Japanese official remarked, also highlighting that the U.K.’s most recognized export is Scotch whisky. “In this sense, I think the promotion for this British cheese would be necessary.”
“There’s ambition among U.K. food and drink manufacturers to increase their trading with markets outside the EU, like Japan,” said Hyde. “We want that ambition to be met with action from government, by doing more to promote U.K. food and drink abroad, alongside gaining tariff reductions to these nations.”
Leave a Reply