KOBE: Kobe beef has been served for school lunch in Hyogo Prefecture since earlier this month in an initiative aimed at stimulating the consumption of the renowned beef brand, whose demand has slumped due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students at 1,086 municipally run elementary, junior high and other schools in the western Japan prefecture are enjoying Kobe beef served as steaks or “yakiniku” grilled meat thanks to the initiative planned by the prefectural association of meat industry cooperatives for supporting local cattle farmers.

According to the association, some 60 tons of Kobe beef will be used for the project to offer lunch dishes using the meat for up to three times per school by the end of March next year. The Hyogo prefectural government will fully cover related costs totaling around 600 million yen.

At Maruhashi Elementary School in the city of Takarazuka in Hyogo, chuck and round meat of Kobe beef grilled with yakiniku sauce was served for lunch on Oct. 12.

It was the first time for Yuto Ishizuka, a fifth grader at the school, to taste Kobe beef. “Eating the beef with rice was the best. I wish I could eat it every day,” the 11-year-old boy said with a big smile on his face.

Only meat of Hyogo-raised Tajima-gyu cattle that fulfills strict quality standards, including marbling levels, is called Kobe beef.

The price of Kobe beef, which was around 3,000-4,000 yen per kilogram before the pandemic, dropped to levels below 3,000 yen in April as demand for use at restaurants decreased due to people’s efforts to refrain from dining out to avoid contracting COVID-19. The price has yet to recover the 3,000-yen line today, according to the association.

“We wish our project will allow children to realize that Hyogo is a great prefecture that produces something so delicious,” Yoichi Shimizu, 46, chief clerk of the association, said. “We also hope that the opportunity of tasting Kobe beef will lead to an increase of the meat’s consumption in the future.”

JIJI Press