Beef Beyond Borders

Canada’s beef industry is built on exports. In 2024, Canada exported 550,000 metric tonnes of cattle and beef (net of imports). Most of Canada’s exports (75% of export volume and 79% of export value) went to the US because it’s right next door, our products are similar and American and Canadian consumers have comparable quality preferences and expectations.

Japan was Canada’s second largest export market (9% of volume and 7% of value). Japan primarily buys brisket, flank/plate, chuck and rib from Canada. The “rib” primal is home to the ribeye steak, which is one of the most highly marbled and high-quality cuts. But “highly marbled” and “high-quality” are subjective terms! Anyone who has seen or tasted Japanese Wagyu beef knows that it is much more highly marbled than Canadian beef.

The difference in marbling between Canadian and Japanese beef is partly due to genetics. Japanese Black cattle raised for Wagyu beef in Japan deposit more marbling than the beef breeds traditionally used in Canada. It’s also partly due to management (Japanese Black cattle are fed differently and for much longer than Canadian beef cattle). But the marbling difference between Japanese and Canadian beef is also partly due to differences in the grading system.

Canada’s grading system evaluates marbling in the ribeye muscle between the 12 and 13th ribs (roughly midway between the front and hind legs) and assigns a A, AA, AAA or Canada Prime grade. Japan’s grading system evaluates marbling in the muscles between the 6th and 7th ribs (behind the shoulder) and assigns one of 12 grades (JMGA 1 to JMGA 12). The ribeye muscle is cone-shaped and becomes much smaller as you move forward from the Canadian grading site to the Japanese grading site. This means that seams of intramuscular (marbling) fat running lengthwise through the ribeye are much more concentrated and visibly obvious at the Japanese site. As a result, the ribeye muscle from the same carcass will have a higher marbling score at the Japanese grading site than at the Canadian grading site, regardless of its genetics or how it’s been fed. Being able to “translate” the Canadian marbling score to a Japanese marbling score may help to market Canadian beef more effectively in Japan.

Oscar Lopez-Campos led a team at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lacombe Research and Development Center (AAFC Lacombe) studying whether the marbling score at Canada’s grade site can predict marbling scores at the Japanese grading site (Relating the Canadian and Japanese beef grading sites;