September 25, 2006

Hong Kong relists three beef plants, approves four more

Hong Kong has relisted three plants that it had delisted for having bone fragments in beef shipments earlier this year. The plants are owned by Cargill Meat Solutions, Harris Ranch Beef Co. and Swift and Co. Only beef from cattle slaughtered on or after Aug. 18 will be accepted from these plants, according to USDA. FSnet Link

Korea rebuffs request for bone fragment tolerance

Last week, USDA sent a team to South Korea to meet with officials to better understand Korea's technical restrictions for U.S. beef. One of the issues the team hoped to reach an understanding about was bone fragments in boneless beef. South Korean officials, unfortunately, indicated that they would have a zero-tolerance standard for such fragments, even including cartilage, and that certain specific fragments would be considered a Specified Risk Material (SRM) for BSE. FSnet Link

U.S. beef bowls a hit in Japan

Yoshinoya, a fast-food chain with 1,000 locations in Japan, had a "Resurrection Day for the Beef Bowl" last Monday. People waited up to two hours for the popular dish, which hasn't been served since early 2004 after Japan closed to U.S. beef due to BSE concerns. FSnet Link