WORLD BEEF MELISSA: We've got Jeff Clarke here from Eastern Meats and we're talking international beef -- tell us about a couple of different breeds, Jeff. JEFF: Well, actually, some of the most popular breeds in the world are, of course, we've all heard of Angus type cattle, the Simmentals, the Charolais out of France, and the Wagyus out of Australia. MELISSA: Right, so Angus beef is from Scotland,right? JEFF: Angus beef is traditionally Scottish, yes, it's made its way into North America because of our great grazing lands of feed. MELISSA: So that's what's most popular? JEFF: Well, yeah, because it grows quickly. MELISSA: Right. JEFF: And that's -- you know, farmers are trying to turn over cattle very quick, so it grows quick and gets to market. MELISSA: So it's really flavourful because of the marbling, and the marbling is actually the white little specks you see in here, which is the fat content in the meat? JEFF: Yes. MELISSA: What I think is the most interesting one is the Colby, tell us a little bit about that. JEFF: Well, Colby is actually a brand of beef which comes from the Wagyu breed imported out of Australia, and the Japanese really took a liking to this and actually did their own little brand and with some specifications involved. MELISSA: Okay, and they are treated a lot like most of you boys would love to be treated, I hear they're injected with beer and massaged their whole life, is that true? JEFF: Well, not quite injected with beer. What happens during the summer months is the cattle actually get hot and don't feel like eating, so they stimulate their appetites with beer. MELISSA: Because they want to get some nice big beer bellies on them. JEFF: That's right, and as far as the massaging goes, they're not massaged to make the meat tender, as most people would think, they're actually massaged to keep the cattle nice and calm, so they have a great life. MELISSA: So in effect, though, they are more tender because the massage calms them down and so they move around less? JEFF: That's right, exactly. MELISSA: Which we've all talked about and which we're most interested in because of the flavour of the beef. Double A has a little less, and A, a little less than that. Okay, so what are we likely to see a tour grocery stores? JEFF: You're guaranteed pretty much to see an A product, double A and triple A as well. MELISSA: Okay, and what characterizes triple A, a lot of marbling? JEFF: A lot of marbling, and, you know, this would definitely classify as a triple A. MELISSA: Okay, and I think another big thing on people's minds is the safety of beef, because we hear a lot on the news about beef scares like Mad Cow Disease or hoof and mouth. JEFF: Well, the Canadian Grading Association actually has the highest grade probably in the world, we don't allow imported beef that hasn't been inspected properly over the years, we're very careful at introducing breeds, so actually, Canada has actually probably the safest in the world, I would think.

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