Chinese people love American beef — nearly 105 Statues of Liberty in weight imported in the first half of the year

▲Chinese people love American beef, with imports reaching 21,189 tons in the first half of the year. The photo shows a steak sharing platter at the Que Steakhouse in Songshan Yishè Hotel, featuring a generous 35oz steak grilled over direct flame using longan wood. (Photo / Reporter Huang Shiyuan)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Chinese people really love American beef!! According to statistics from the U.S. Meat Export Federation, Taiwan imported a total of 21,189 tons of American beef from January to June 2017, equivalent to the weight of nearly 105 Statues of Liberty. The import volume increased by 20% compared to the same period last year, and the total import value also rose by 26%, reaching US$194 million. The market share of chilled beef in Taiwan reached as high as 71%.

In response to Taiwanese people’s love for barbecue and grilled cuisine, the U.S. Meat Export Federation launched the “American Beef BBQ Grand Prix” campaign from August 16 to September 30. Over a hundred barbecue restaurants that use premium American beef participated, covering six major categories: American-style, Japanese-style, Korean-style, skewers, steaks, and Mongolian barbecue. In addition to special promotions on American beef dishes, there was also a lucky draw offering American beef meals worth a total of NT$400,000.

When it comes to American beef, Wu Chiu-heng, director of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said that the most popular cuts among Taiwanese are boneless short ribs, bone-in short ribs, and ribeye. However, the federation has also been actively promoting other cuts in recent years, such as petite tender, chuck flap meat, and brisket. Their import volumes increased by 8–10%, 10%, and 15–20% respectively in the first half of the year. But compared to the more familiar 12 major cuts, these three only account for 1% of imports. Wu Chiu-heng noted that it takes time to see significant growth in their volume.