Japanese Frozen Food Shipments Continue to Drop

Pesticide-tainted frozen dumplings from China have negatively affected the global food market, with Japanese shipments of frozen foods falling 6% to JPY832.7bn ($8.9bn) in 2009, according to the Japan Frozen Food Association.

This number has fallen for two consecutive years accounting for a JPY100bn ($1bn) decrease in two years, the association said.

The figures include shipments of domestically produced and imported items.

In 2009 the total output from domestic factories declined 5% to JPY636.4bn ($6.8bn).

Imported frozen vegetables dropped 6% to JPY104.6bn ($1.1bn), while imported cooked foods slid 18% to JPY91.5bn ($982m), it said.