牛肉の生産・消費の国際比較 : 欧米とわが国との比較

Abstract

Production systems as well as consumption types of beef seem to have a wide variation among the developed countries. In France and West Germany, beef comes from dairy cows and young dairy bulls which are fattened with whole-corn-silage for short term, therefore it is very lean. In the U.S., crossbred steers and heifers of beef breed are fed with corn for short term, but in Japan, heifers and steers of beef breed and steers of dairy breed are fed with concentrate feed for long term to obtain marbled beef. This wide variation of beef production systems have a close relationship with beef consumption types in each country. In West Germany and France, traditional cooking method of beef has been boiling, shimmering or stewing, and with this method lean meat tastes very well. In the United States, people enjoy beef moslty as beef steak. And grain-fed beef with rich flavor, juiciness and tenderness is good for beef steak. Traditionally, Japanese people have taken beef as Sukiyaki, in which beef is cooked with wet heat, i. e. vegetables and high quality beef are boiled for short time with soysauce In this case beef is necessary to be marbled in order to reserve flavor and juice in beef during it is cooked. After the World War II, beef consumption types have changed significantly in most countries. In France, people began taking beef as beef steak and now most of young bull beef are exported. In the U.S. and West Germany, lean beef began to be preferred, because of people's increasing interest in health problems. In Japan, beef cooking method began showing a wide diversification, including the methods with dry heat. In most countries, beef production systems are changing to adjust themselves with the changing consumption types, except in Japan. This is a fundamental problem of Japan's beef production system.