Beef Striploin: export from Canada to ASEAN

Striploin is a premium middle-meat cut and it is bought on grade. The Canadian grading system assesses marbling, maturity and muscling, and the top grades (Prime and the AAA band) are what move into hotel, restaurant and premium retail channels in Asia.

Beyond grade, the decisions are chilled or frozen, the ageing regime, the weight band and the trim. Chilled striploin commands a premium and carries a shelf-life clock that makes airfreight or a fast sea route a commercial necessity rather than a preference. Frozen opens up the slower route at a lower price point.

Canadian beef is raised in a predominantly grain-finished system, which produces the marbling profile that premium Asian buyers associate with the origin. Specify the grade and the trim standard together, since a grade alone leaves the fat cover open.

Establishment eligibility for the destination is the first question, not the last, and it is decided by the destination authority.