Talk:Kobe beef

Beer

I saw a german documentary yesterday where the cattle were fed 1 bottle of beer a day to relief them of stress. In the article it is stated that this is not the case. Unfortunately i have no sources but maybe someone else got more info on that? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.88.117.149 (talk) 10:28, 21 March 2011 (UTC)

I agree. This article needs a little TLC. Cows that produce Kobe Beef are fed beer and given daily massages. There are hundreds of articles that reference this, many available in google. Here's another article about this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cornwall/6345289.stm -bb

This more properly belongs in the urban legend category. For a better citation, consider http://www.kobe-niku.jp/english/contents/faq/index.html -- from the Kobe Beef Marketing Association itself! In the FAQs, see the quote "Actually, however, it can be said that there have been almost no cases of cows being raised on beer" and "...massage itself neither softens meat nor increases the amount of marbling" --Larry (talk) 21:12, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

Production methods

I added a paragraph about the raising of Kobe beef based on Raymond Blanc's observations:

"The chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc has described how Kobe beef production involves the use of confining pens which result in animals so weak that they have difficulty in walking due to the lack of exercise of their muscles. He also noted that slaughter takes place in an open dirty field, in front of animals that are about to be killed."

The source is http://oxfordsymposium.org.uk/36-os2007report/

This has been deleted by User:Traveling_Man with the reason given as "undo POV". How is it "point of view"? If the animals are confined to pens, that is a statement of fact. "POV" is if I wrote that "Kobe beef is produced using unnecessarily cruel methods". 92.21.6.103 (talk) 16:23, 17 May 2012 (UTC)

It's POV because Blanc is not a disinterested third party but has a personal stake in the matter in his business. Not to mention his quote only makes sense from a European point of view, as compared to an American point of view where slaughter methods are even more inhumane. -bb

I have a bigger issue on the quote itself. It doesn't make any sense to put it in the section that defines the criteria for Kobe Beef. If you really want to insert your pov into this article, create a new section titled something like "Controversy over Production Methods" rather than in the criteria for what qualifies Kobe Beef. It struck me as odd and out of place the moment I started reading it. -bb

Untrue

"The proliferation of beef outside of Japan marketed as the Kobe beef is a troubling issue for Kobe beef farmers. Much like how sparkling wine may not be labeled "Champagne" unless it is produced in the Champagne region of France, the same is true in regard to "genuine" Kobe beef. Kobe beef comes from a specific breed and genetic lineage of cattle raised in the Hyogo prefecture according to the standards set by Kobe Beef Distribution and Promotion Council. This council also sets the rules regarding foreign exportation of Kobe beef and has tightly restricted trade with the exception of export to Macau and Hong Kong."

This may be true in the EU, but elsewhere you can certainly label any sparkling wine you want as Champagne. Particularly in the US, where place names are not copyrightable.169.232.131.133 (talk) 20:55, 27 December 2012 (UTC)