Food's Biggest Scam: The Great Kobe Beef Lie

[tikidoc]

I absolutely think that calling them Kobe or anything with the word Kobe is potentially misleading, especially since this refers to a specific appellation (or whatever one calls it with livestock).

I don't really have a problem with "American Wagyu" though. As I understand, "Wagyu" translates to "Japanese cattle". This is what they are, at least the full blooded cattle that were either imports or descended entirely from imports. There is a registry for these animals in the US, which provides some assurance of what they are (NOT as far as the USDA is concerned, that's another story). They do come from a couple of different Japanese populations but the beef, as I understand, is similar, so crossing them and calling them "American Wagyu" does not seem unreasonable. New breeds of animals are started all the time, and this name does correctly identify their heritage.

And yes, one could argue that then someone could import any breeding animal from Japan, high quality or not, and call it "Wagyu" but realistically, that's unlikely to happen. Importing livestock is very expensive. They have to be quarantined after importation, and the process is not cheap. I'm not sure about cattle, but I can tell you that importation of a horse from Europe to the US will run you around $10K. So they are not going to import lousy stock. You don't spend that kind of cash unless you are really trying to improve your herd genetics.

If they are crossed with another beef breed, as is commonly done in the US, then it should be labeled as such, as in Wagyu/Angus, the most common cross.

As ScottyBoy illustrated, whatever you are going to call these animals, the beef does deserve a different name of some kind, because the marbling you see is just not the same thing as a good quality Angus steak.

[ScoopKW]

As expected, you'll find me on the side of "make sure the product IS what you call it."

There are a dozen restaurants in Las Vegas that STILL call their meat "Kobe beef." They charge a premium for these items. And they seem to rely on an ignorant customer base. That's like selling "Cuban-seed Dominican cigars" as "Cuban cigars." Both items are banned in the US. But the cigar people know enough about cigars to avoid being ripped off.

The average American beef consumer doesn't know squat. And nobody is getting the information out there so he or she can make more informed choices. The mass media and the government agencies aren't doing their jobs. They're rolling over, as usual, and letting big beef call their product whatever they want. The small producers like Snake River label their product honestly. How can they compete with big ranches selling their mock Kobe beef to an ignorant marketplace?

[liuzhou]

There is an interview with the author of these articles here on NPR.

[Junkbot]

As expected, you'll find me on the side of "make sure the product IS what you call it."

There are a dozen restaurants in Las Vegas that STILL call their meat "Kobe beef." They charge a premium for these items. And they seem to rely on an ignorant customer base. That's like selling "Cuban-seed Dominican cigars" as "Cuban cigars." Both items are banned in the US. But the cigar people know enough about cigars to avoid being ripped off.

So how would you deal with a restaurant that's selling Kobe? If I went to a tobacco shop, and they tried to sell me 'Cuban' cigars, I'd immediately call them out on that. But for some reason, I'd have reservations on doing that in a restaurant selling 'Kobe' beef.

[MaxH]

So how would you deal with a restaurant that's selling Kobe? If I went to a tobacco shop, and they tried to sell me 'Cuban' cigars, I'd immediately call them out on that. But for some reason, I'd have reservations on doing that in a restaurant selling 'Kobe' beef.

Why so? Same situation.

Rare ingredients can make a big difference in food. When restaurants began following the lead of cynical truffle packagers a few years ago and passing off cheap unflavorful minor Tuber species as "black truffles" (very obvious if you know truffles, since they look different inside) -- in my experience it included some surprising restaurants, with chefs of taste and, in other areas, principles -- I found no difficulty calling them on it just as you describe for cigars. Their response has been embarassment and apology. It is possible that this reminds those kitchens that some customers notice, and that the restaurant's reputation is therefore at issue, and if so it might even do some good.

[ScoopKW]

Or what if some unscrupulous Japanese distiller whipped up a batch of inexpensive dark rum (colored with caramel coloring) and then bottled it and slapped a "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey" label on it? Bourbon distilleries all over Kentucky would howl about it. That's what.

Yet we do exactly that, with impunity, to other nations. Parmesan cheese, Champagne, Kobe beef, balsamic vinegar -- if it's trendy and spendy, there are producers in this country who will gladly counterfeit the product. It is obvious our government is never going to grow a pair and legislate this behavior away. The market will have to stand up and demand the companies that try to fob off bogus products quit ripping us off.

[rooftop1000]

I forwarded this article to a local "specialty" supermarket last week and heard back that they are going to change the labeling of their Kobe beef to Wagyu....sigh, well it is a step in the right direction I suppose

tracey

[bishop]

Hope I dropped this in the right forum.

Learned a lot from this, and not just about Kobe beef.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/

All 4 parts are worth reading. You'll never look at a menu the same again or talk to a purveyor the same way.

Plus good info for when you have to explain to a customer ... or bad ... depending on the cause

[liuzhou]

2014 update by the same author

[SobaAddict70]

They probably should come up with a new name for what is called "American Kobe beef" here in the US, because that is a misnomer. Many are using the term "Wagyu beef" now, which is a bit more accurate, although most in the US are Wagyu crossed with Angus.

"...(The term ``Wagyu,'' which literally translates to Japanese cattle, refers

to purebred Japanese Black or Japanese Brown breeds of cattle. Wagyu

beef is a high-priced specialty meat widely acclaimed for its flavor

and tenderness. ``Kobe beef'' refers to Wagyu beef that is produced in

the Kobe area of Japan.) Japan also produces Holstein breed dairy

cattle, but it is unlikely that Japan would try to compete in the U.S.

import market for lower-grade beef from culled dairy cattle.

Accordingly, we expect only Wagyu beef to be imported under the

proposed rule.

"We expect that Japan would continue to be a minor supplier of beef

to the United States if this proposal were adopted. We estimate that

the volume of imports is likely to range between about 8 metric tons

and 15 metric tons per year, a quantity aligned with import levels in

the years immediately prior to the ban. There are three reasons for the

small import volume. First, the demand for Japanese Wagyu beef in the

United States would likely be small, because the beef is expensive. In

October 2004, for example, the average actual selling price of Wagyu

sirloin in Japanese supermarkets was just under $50 per pound.\12\ The

price of Japanese Wagyu beef would be higher in the United States

because of transportation and other costs associated with the

importation of the beef from Japan."

Source: CFR, Volume 70, No. 239, dated as of December 14, 2005 accessed at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2005-08-18/html/05-16422.htm

[SobaAddict70]

What's meaningful to me, as someone who plans to eat, not sell, their beef, is the quality of the beef.

The "Wagyu" that were imported to the US from Japan for breeding were imported because they were sires that produced high quality beef with a large amount of marbling. They may have come from different Japanese breeds (which, incidentally, trace back, in part, to English and European breeds such as Devons, Angus and Simmentals, in addition to the native Asian cattle) but the individuals that were imported to the US were imported to introduce genetics that produce a high quality meat.

I don't know much about the USDA rules, but there is now an American registry of Wagyu cattle ("Wagyu" is now a breed in the US) and all breeding animals must undergo genetic testing for parentage in order to be registered as purebred. So at least from a breeding standpoint, it is not meaningless.

Here you go: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5070896

It's the USDA's specification of certification of beef carcass, quality and yield characteristics of officially graded beef.

[SobaAddict70]

Since I'm a policy wonk, I found this bit of interesting information at the FSIS (Food Safety and Inspection Service):

"FSIS allows generically approved labels to be applied to meat and poultry products in the exercise of its broad prior label approval authority. By regulation, FSIS specifies when generic approval can be undertaken by an establishment, foregoing the need to obtain a sketch approval requiring a submission of a label application directly to FSIS.

"Products for which a standard of identity applies may be generically approved, provided that the labeling does not contain any special claims, including quality claims, nutrient content or health claims, negative claims, geographical origin claims, or guarantees. For labeling that is not for domestic product (i.e., marked “for export only”), the addition or deletion of the direct translation of a foreign language may be generically approved.

"The final rule specifies numerous other types of labeling that are generically approved and, thus, need not be submitted to FSIS for sketch approval: single-ingredient products that bear no claims; products sold under contract specifications to the Federal government; labeling of shipping containers that contain fully- and properly-labeled immediate (inner) containers; food not intended for human consumption; meat inspection legends; inserts, tags, and other materials that bear no reference to the product and are not misleading; and the labeling for consumer test products not

intended for sale."

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/f4af7c74-2b9f-4484-bb16-fd8f9820012d/Labeling_Requirements_Guide.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

The term "sketch approval" means:

To ensure that meat and poultry products comply with the FMIA and PPIA and their implementing regulations, FSIS conducts a prior approval program for labels that are to be used on federally inspected meat and poultry products and imported products (see 9 CFR 317.4, 317.5, 327.14, 381.132, 381.133, 381.134, and 381.205). Under the current program,

FSIS evaluates sketches of labels for approval. A ``sketch label'' is a printer's proof or other version that clearly shows all required label features, size, location, and indication of final color. To obtain sketch label approval, domestic meat and poultry establishments and certified foreign establishments, or their representatives, submit

sketch labels to FSIS for evaluation, except when the label is generically approved by the Agency under 9 CFR 317.5 or 381.133.

Generic label approval refers to the prior approval of labels or modifications to labels by the Agency without submitting such labels to FSIS for sketch approval. Generic label approval requires that all mandatory label features be in conformance with FSIS regulations (9 CFR 317.5(a)(1) and 381.133(a)(1)). Although such labels are not submitted to FSIS for approval, they are deemed to be approved and, therefore, may be applied to product in accordance with the Agency's prior label approval system. Sections 317.5 and 381.133 also list the types of labels and modifications to labels that are deemed to be approved without submission to FSIS, as long as the label displays all mandatory

label features in conformance with applicable Federal regulations.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-11-07/html/2013-26639.htm