There are many ways to enjoy beef, including steak, sukiyaki, yakiniku, beef stew, and beef bowl.
In this issue, we asked Mr. Obara, the principal of the Federal Meat Academy, a public interest incorporated association that trains people to become active in the meat industry, to tell us about the appeal of beef.

In the past, cattle were an important labor force that supported human life in Japan.

People plowed the rice paddies and produced rice with cattle, and the rice straw served as fodder for the cattle to grow large.
Cattle manure becomes fertilizer for the rice paddies, enriching the soil and creating a circular agriculture.

Later, the culture of eating meat began to advance in Japan as the country entered the Meiji period (1868-1912). Beef was first consumed by the emperor Meiji in 1872, and eating meat became widespread in Japan. It is said that Yukichi Fukuzawa, famous for his book “An Encouragement of Learning,” is also stated at the end of the Edo period, "Beef is good for nourishment, everyone starts to eat beef as the night goes on.”

Beef consumption has been increasing ever since then, and now the annual per capita consumption of beef in Japan is 6.1 kg, of which about 40% is domestically produced beef and the rest is imported from Australia, the U.S., and other countries.

Such beef is packed with many nutrients.

Beef, like eggs and fish, is one of the foods that contain a lot of animal protein. Animal protein contains a good balance of essential amino acids that cannot be synthesized in our bodies.

As the name "essential" suggests, essential amino acids are indispensable amino acids to synthesize proteins in the human body.

In addition, beef contains heme iron, whose absorption rate from the intestines is about four times higher than that of iron contained in plants, and carnitine, which helps burn fat. For this reason, people who are prone to anemia or who are on a diet are advised to include beef in their regular diet.

That is not all. It also contains serotonin, which helps stabilize your mood. This serotonin helps to improve the quality of sleep and other aspects of well-being.

The fact that people who eat beef naturally smile may be due not only to its delicious taste, but also to serotonin.

Before beef arrives at your home, it must undergo slaughtering, which involves separating the meat into its parts, removing the gristle, and shaping it.

In Japan, meat processing techniques have been refined over the past 150 years since the Meiji period. This technique is recognized both in Japan and abroad, and foreign chefs often come to the Federal Meat Academy, to learn about meat processing.

Another feature of Japanese beef is that it is highly marbled due to years of quality improvement. Many parts of beef can be enjoyed in various ways, such as steaks, yakiniku, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu, and are loved both in Japan and abroad.

Above all, beef has a variety of flavors depending on the part of the meat. Every part of the beef has its own unique qualities, so please learn the characteristics and enjoy the differences.

Neck
The meat is firm and coarse. It is rich in extract and gelatin.
Chuck Eye Roll
This is the muscle that leads to the rib eye roll and Striploin. It is characterized by its fine, tender, and excellent meat quality.
Shoulder Clod
The meat is rough and slightly firm. Like the neck, it contains a lot of extract and gelatin.
Ribeye Roll
This is one of the best parts of meat along with the tenderloin and Striploin. Its cross section is marbled to perfection.
Striploin
The Striploin has the finest texture and tenderness. It is the most suitable part for steaks.
Tenderloin
It is the least active muscle and therefore the most tender part. It is low in fat and rich in protein.
Ribs
This is the part with the most fibers and fascia, and the coarse texture. The lean meat and fat are layered and easily marbled, giving it a very rich flavor.
Round
Top Round: The Top Round has the least amount of fat of all beef parts. Most of it is lean, so it is recommended for those who prefer lean meat.
Knuckle: A part with little fat and mainly lean meat. The meat is characterized by its fine texture and tenderness.
Rump
This is the second highest grade of beef. Also called Ranichi or Ramu in Japan.
Bottom Round
The most athletic muscle in the thigh part. It is characterized by its rough texture and slightly tough meat.
Shank (Foreshank and Hindshank)
The meat is tough and has a lot of tendons. Like the Neck and Shoulder Clod, it is rich in extract and gelatin. The front leg is called Foreshank and the back leg is called Hindshank.

Source: "Meat Q&A," revised edition, National Meat Fair Trade Council
Reference: National Meat Certification Committee, "The 13th Meat Certification Level 1 Textbook 2024.

Beef is a very attractive product, but there are still some issues to be addressed for people to continue to enjoy eating it.

First is the low self-sufficiency rate of feed.
In Japan, grain-based fattening is the mainstream, but about 73% of feed for cattle, pigs, and chickens is imported. With import prices skyrocketing, farmers are having a hard time making ends meet.

Furthermore, cattle have a long gestation period of approximately 280 days, and can only give birth to one at a time, so it is not easy to maintain a stable supply. There is also a shortage of successors to the breeding farmers due to the aging of the population, so the government is actively providing support.

In addition, some people may have an image of beef as being expensive. To make beef a more accessible foodstuff in the future, it will be important to increase domestic production of wheat and rice, which are used as feed.

It is also important to produce beef that matches the needs of consumers. Recently, consumers are increasingly asking for leaner beef rather than fatty, marbled meat. In this sense, I recommend AMANI-NO-MEGUMI beef, which enhances the taste of lean meat. I had AMANI-NO-MEGUMI beef as a steak, and it was very tasty, light in fat and refreshing, and very easy to eat. The vacuum-packed products are also available and look great, and I am sure that those who have purchased them will become repeat customers. We hope you will give them a try!

In Part 2, we will show you the process of creating AMANI-NO-MEGUMI beef.