Successful Launch Puts More U.S. Pork on Thousands of Shelves in Japan

After spring and summer sales tests at select stores proved successful, Family Mart is now selling a value-added U.S. pork product at 16,300 outlets in Japan. With funding from the National Pork Board, USMEF supported promotions of SPAM musubi through point-of-sale materials, including posters and special shelf cases.

SPAM musubi was the top seller in the musubi category at Family Mart on its launch date and is expected to become a standard product at the convenience store chain. Spam musubi is a snack and lunch food composed of a slice of grilled Spam sandwiched between or on top of a block of rice, wrapped together with edible seaweed in the tradition of Japanese onigiri (rice ball). “It is very rare for a newly launched product to become number one in sales in its category,” says USMEF Japan Director Takemichi Yamashoji. “Spam musubi is inexpensive and portable, and it meets the growing demand for convenience foods in Japan.”

Family Mart is now selling SPAM musubi at more than 16,000 convenience stores in Japan