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First US beef hits shelves after ban conditionally lifted

After a 16-month-old ban, boneless US beef will hit the shelves in hypermarkets and be back on the menu at local restaurants.

The first batch of US beef arrived in CKS International Airport yesterday morning, after a conditional lifting of the ban that will let in limited shipments. More than 160 boxes containing 2,169kg of US beef were delivered to the market after food safety tests conducted by the Council of Agriculture and the Bureau of Standards, Metrology, and Inspection under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

Gourmets, however, may pay a higher price for the long-awaited beef because of the low volume of imports and high demand. Sirloin cuts, for instance, may be priced as high as NT$900 per kg and filet beef could cost NT$1,200 per kg, according to retailers.

"On average, the cost of US beef has increased by NT$70 per kilogram," said public relations manager Brenda Yen (嚴必文) of Far Eastern Geant (愛買吉安), which operates 13 outlets nationwide.

The hypermarket said that price will fluctuate slightly depending on the product.

"The retail price of boneless short ribs, for example, will edge lower by 10 percent to NT$600 per kilogram, while the price of tendons will climb 5 percent to NT$400," Yen said.

Retailers expected the price to vary less as regular shipping of US beef is slated to start in mid May.

"Everyone is vying for the long-banned US beef now. But as shipping begins and the volume of imports expands, the price will return to normal," said He Mo-chen (何默真), the public affairs specialist of another large hypermarket chain, RT-Mart (大潤發).

Taiwan imposed the ban on US beef after the discovery of mad cow disease in an adult cow in Washington State in December 2003. Earlier this month the Department of Health announced the conditional lifting of the ban after they sent a panel of experts to inspect and evaluate safety measures in US slaughterhouses.

If a second case of mad cow disease is spotted in the US, the health authority will resume the ban to prevent contaminated beef from entering the food chain here.

Currently, only boneless meat cut from cattle younger than 30 months old can reenter the market. Cattle parts such as intestines and tonsils, which have a higher risk of being contaminated, are still prohibited.
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