About BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)
*Additional note Regarding the review of BSE countermeasures
In Kobe City, all cattle have been tested for BSE since October 18, 2001, but from July 1, 2013, all cattle to be tested were revised from the current all cattle to over 48 months old. rice field.
Click here for details
http://www.city.kobe.lg.jp/life/health/hygiene/food/bse.html
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Since the discovery of a cow infected with the so-called "mad cow disease" in Japan, I think that everyone has been swayed by various reports and the delay in the government's response. The reason why our store has continued to sell meat is, of course, that we are confident that it is safe, but it was still difficult when we did not understand. Thank you very much for all your support and words of encouragement! Thank you again!
What is BSE?
■The pathogen is an abnormal protein particle called a prion. Originally, normal prion proteins are abundantly contained in the membranes of nerve cells such as the brain, but when abnormal prions enter, they come in contact with normal prions and have the property of being denatured one after another.
■The source of the original infection was the use of meat-and-bone meal containing sheep prions, a disease called scrapie, which is very similar to BSE, as feed for cattle.
(*The disease called scrapie in sheep has been around for a long time, and eating it does not infect humans.)
■Before the disease BSE was discovered, waste from cattle infected with BSE became meat-and-bone meal, and was transported to Japan in a chain reaction.
Click here for details (explanation page of our shop at the time of domestic outbreak)
is it really safe?
It's safe (^^)!
■Currently, infected cattle are not marketed in Japan.
In addition, the use and manufacture of meat-and-bone meal, which is a source of infection, is prohibited.
■The following parts of cows infected with BSE should not be eaten.
Brain, spinal cord, retina (membrane of eyes), distal ileum (last part of small intestine) *Currently, these parts are discarded regardless of infection.
■Even BSE-infected cows can eat ``muscles (meat)'', which is generally called ``meat'', without any problem. Of course, there is no problem with "milk and dairy products", "pork" and "chicken".
■ Humans become infected when they ingest a large amount of abnormal prions. If the human body does not take in more than a certain amount, it is designed to be excreted. Even if you take a small amount every day, it will not be excreted and stored in the body.
■In England, where more than 100 people were actually infected, people ate brains and spinal cords like meat. In Japan, even if an infected cow were to go on the market, the above "parts that should not be eaten" would be discarded regardless of whether they were infected or not, and the amount of abnormal prions contained in the meat of infected cows would be extremely small. It is a small amount and does not infect humans.
■If it is beef, I would like everyone to be careful about food poisoning like "O-157". Please refer to here for "O-157".
Hygiene management at home
About Kobe beef
■It is said that the taste of Japanese beef, including Kobe beef, is determined by the feed, and the sashimi (marbled) is determined by the pedigree. Do not use bait such as meat and bone meal as it will adversely affect meat quality.
■Kobe beef is always born and raised in Hyogo Prefecture. The family register of cattle has been preserved for generations, and the feeding and fattening conditions are thoroughly managed, so even if it is meat, it is easy to trace it to the producer.
Calf registration certificate
About the future
Ear tags (identification numbers) have been attached to Japanese wagyu beef for a long time. Not only that, all domestic cattle now have a uniform identification number.
It's a little hard to understand, but the yellow tag attached to the ear is an "ear tag". →
■A system (traceability) that allows anyone to easily trace the product to the producer, even if it is packed in a store, has just started on a trial basis, but I hope it will be established as soon as possible.
■Lastly, this is my personal opinion, but I think it's really hard for the producers because there is no one to take back the dairy cows that are no longer producing milk, which are called "disused cows". The government has established a system to buy the cows, and after they are purchased, they are inspected and discarded whether they are positive or negative. I'm not going to put it out.
In fact, when the first calf was released in Chiba, ``Chiba-produced'' beef did not sell well, and once it was discovered that the calf was produced in Hokkaido, people shunned it just because it was ``Hokkaido-produced.'' I felt a big problem, but above all, I thought it was important for each person to make a calm decision.
Regardless of BSE, delays in the government's response and biased media coverage are common occurrences. I believe that it will be the power to change.
