May 29, 2008

South Korean beef importers to clear air on US beef rumours
    
   

South Korean beef importers are eager to clear the air amid rumours that US beef imported to South Korea are low-grade beef that even the US consumers would not eat.
 

Beef imported to South Korea is the same beef Americans consume at home and in restaurants, beef importers said.

The rumours are upsetting, said Park Chang-gyu, the owner of A-Meat, a beef importer. In a move to correct the misunderstandings, about 50 beef importers have established a meat importers' association.

Parts such as eyes, brains, skulls and some parts of backbones from cattle under 30 months old are not in the banned list but they would not be imported, said the importers, who added those parts are not distributed in the US as they are disposed of during the slaughter process.

"What is sold in the US for food is what's going to be imported," Park said.

Park Bong-su, chief executive office of High Food, also confirmed that meat collected from advanced meat recovery, a process that collects meat through high pressure, would not be imported at all. Kim Tae-hyeong, CEO of BF International, also said they would not be importing cattle organs soon, though they would import parts such as beef ribs.

In response to criticisms that beef from cattle 30 months old or over are not fit to eat, Nerf CEO Lee Jong-kyung said US labelling do not indicate cattle age but beef grade, meaning that US consumers do consume beef from older cattle.

To avoid unnecessary controversy, the meat importers' association said they would be importing boneless beef first before starting to import organs and leg bones.

South Korean importers also import Australian and New Zealand beef.