In the United States the most significant feature of the imported 

 frozen, cooked and cleaned loins is the savings in personnel. When 

 imported cleaned loins are used, few, if any, of the wcmen normally- 

 employed in the cleaning operation are required. The butchering and 

 precooking operations are also eliminated„ 



Whether or not this new type operation will be profitable to American 

 canneries depends entirely on the price at which the Japanese will sell 

 the cooked and cleaned loins. The rate of duty for entry of these products 

 as imports into the United States is 1 cent a pound, net weight, if "in 

 bulk or in immediate containers, weiring with their contents more than 

 15 pounds each", and 12^ percent ad valoran if "in immediate containers 

 weighing with their contents not more than 15 pounds each", 



FROZEN, CANNED (UNSEALED), PRECOOKED TONA 



Another new product designed to avoid a great part of the tariff 

 charges assessed against canned tuna exported to the United States is 

 frozen^ canned (unsealed), precooked tuna. Reduction in labor costs to 

 United States canners is also involved. The new product is similar to 

 frozen raw loins and frozen cooked loins in that it involves a split 

 plant operation; part of the canning operation being carried out in 

 Japan and part in the United States. 



A few sample cases of the frozen, precooked tuna, hand packed in 

 open No. 5 tuna cans have been shipped from Japan to a tuna cannery in 

 the United States, Each case contained 48 cans of solid pack albacore. 



Fall information on the method of packing the tuna in Japan is not 

 available. However, it is assumed that the usual butchering, precooking, 

 cleaning, and packing procedures are used, with the exception that oil 

 and salt are not added to the cans of tuna. Following packing, the open 

 cans of tuna are frozen. Cases of the frozen, canned, (unsealed) pre- 

 cooked tuna are then shipped by refrigerated vessels to the United 5tates„ 



At the cannery in the United States tteonly steps required to con- 

 vert the frozen canned (imsealed) product into the conventional hermetic- 

 ally sealed canned tuna are thawing, addition of oil and salt, sealing, 

 processing, labeling and repacking in cartons , Since nearly all of these 

 operations are mechanized, only a very small percentage of the labor norm- 

 ally required by United States canners for tuna canning is needed. 



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